The Secrets of Camp Magicka
by vampiregirlxx
Summary: Are you ready for a new mysterious/romance story that has never been told before? If yes, this story is for you! Follow Rose to Camp Magicka for a whole new experience! New characters, hot guys& adventures! Let the fun begin! *Slightly OOC* PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1: That One Mistake

**AN: Well hello readers! It's me again! It's been a while since I've last uploaded a story! It feels really good to be back doing what I love. Thank you for deciding to give this story a shot! Like I mentioned in the story description, this story might be slightly OOC in the first few chapters. Still, I hope you would enjoy it. Okay, enough talking! Happy reading! :-)**

**Credit: I also want to mention my beta beautifulxxflame she has been super helpful helping me corrected some of my mistakes. Thank you Madi :-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy. It all belongs to Richelle Mead.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1:<strong>

**That One Mistake**

Today is just another day like any other. I would go downstairs, eat mom's homemade oatmeal and then head out of the house. I would walk to the bus stop, and wait for the bus to come and take me to school…just another normal day in my small hometown of Endicott, Washington. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? In a town this small the worst thing that could happen would be our small supermarket running out of food — yeah, even that is likely to happen. But hey, don't get me wrong, I totally love my life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have the best friends in the world, Lana and Olivia; they are my soul sisters. And then there's Marco, the cutest guy in school that I've been crushing on since ninth grade, who has just started to show some interest. I'm not the popular girl, but why be? Everything in my life is already perfect as it is. My parents also made it on the Rose's Hathaway's 'Best People List'. Despite all the rules they make, and even though they are not the most easy-going people on earth, they are literally two of the best people in my life.

"ROSE! You better get yourself down here or you're definitely going to have to walk to school!" Yes, that's my mom.

I look at my bedside clock and jumped right out of bed, 7:16 am.

"Shit!" I quickly change into a red flannel shirt and put on a pair of dark skinny jeans, normal Rose Hathaway fashion. I pull my dark hair back into a high ponytail then with a light touch of mascara, I was flying down the stairs.

"Always late…" Janine Hathaway scolds and pushes a bowl of oatmeal towards me.

I shove everything into my mouth and swallow it all down without tasting it. "Bye mom!" I gave her a hug and was out the door, running to the bus stop.

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><p>As soon as I was on the bus, I breathe out in relief, 7:29 am, just in time.<p>

I make my way to the back row where I knew I would find Lana and Olivia chatting, waiting for me to join them.

"Late as always, our Rosie!" Lana exclaimed.

I shrug. "Are you surprised?"

"Nope, not anymore. We've been together since elementary school. We're already immune to your laziness," Olivia replied in her sexy English accent I adore.

"Ouch!" I pretend to grab my heart.

They just shook their heads at me.

Lana is a beautiful girl with golden blond hair and beautiful aquamarine-color eyes. She is really fun to be around. So is Olivia, she has a chestnut brown hair and matching brown eyes. Olivia's father is from England and from the outside you'd probably think she's prim and proper but once you really get to know her, you'd know she's not even close to that word. Together both of them make my world a lot happier place to live.

"Anyway, Liv, you gotta tell her that story you told me!" Lana said to Olivia excitedly. I raise my brow at her.

"Okay, well, I was in town yesterday, grocery shopping for my mom when I heard some girls from our school talking about Marco...and you…" She trailed off, looking at me as if asking for a permission to continue. I nod impatiently.

"They heard he said he was—" Olivia started.

"Ahh! Be prepared!" Lana interrupted and I turn to shush her up.

"He said…he was going to ask you out!" At this point, none of us can hold back our excitement anymore. We scream like crazy until the bus driver turns around and glares at us to shut up.

"Oh my god! You're not serious!" I hit her playfully. Whenever I'm excited I have the urge to hit something…or someone in most cases.

"Do you want me to say it again—" Olivia stopped short and then her eyes started gleaming, "or… you could just go ahead and ask him yourself!" She jerks her chin towards the front. I look up to see Marco coming up the school bus and my heartbeat began to quicken at the sight before me.

"Oh-Em-Gee! The guy is coming this way!" Lana shrieks.

"You know, I'm starting to believe that you are the one with a crush on him." I laugh.

Lana waves me off, "And here he is!"

"Hey Rose!" Marco smiles at me before sliding into the seat in front of us, "Hi Lana, Olivia…" he nods towards them.

"Hello!" they both say together excitedly.

"Morning," I grin.

"So, Marco, I heard you were in town yesterday…" Lana trailed off, as if hoping he would catch the hint.

"Mmhh, yeah. I was looking for something." He says, one corner of his mouth lifting in a smile.

"And what might that something be?" Olivia asked innocently.

I look at the ground, excited but at the same time nervous at what he has to say.

"It's a surprise. I'm afraid I can't tell you..." he says slyly and I can feel his gaze on me, as if begging me to meet his gaze.

"Oh no! That's no fun!" Lana exclaimed and we all laugh at the expression on her face.

For the rest of the way we just chat about random things. Last night's dinner, Olivia's brother and then of course, my birthday party this weekend which seems to be the hottest topic right now.

"Oh my god! We're so gonna throw you a huge party!" Lana bounced up and down excitedly.

"And we will invite everyone in our class! It's going to be the most talked about party of the year!" Olivia joined in.

Everyone seemed to be so excited about the plan that I hated myself for having to ruin it. "I don't know…I'm not sure if I can make it. My parents said something about visiting my grandpa in Montana…"

That got me dead glares from my two best friends. "Oh no you don't! That can wait. I mean how many time will you turn seventeen? That's right, once!" Lana practically yelled at my face.

"It's not up to me—" I start.

"That's even better! I'll talk to your mom. It'd be easy." She waves me off. "Now, back to the plan…"

And that is how the rest of the ride went by. Me sitting quietly watching my best friends talking about a birthday party of a life time that I'm not even sure I could make it to. Then once in a while I would catch Marco looking at me. We smile at each other but that was all. No one said a thing.

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><p>After my first class of the day ended, I head towards my locker. The school hall way is so crowded I almost didn't notice a guy leaning against my locker.<p>

At the sound of me approaching he turns around. Bingo! It's Marco.

"Hey Rose. Can I talk to you for a sec?" he raised his brow.

I could just stand there drooling over him all day. He's so handsome with almost black hair and pale blue eyes. He is about 6'1" with a perfect body. He's all the girls' dream boyfriend.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked, trying my hardest not to stare.

He ran his fingers through his hair like he always does when he's nervous, "I was wondering… if you want to go out with me today after school? We could go a movie if you want?"

I have to put so much effort to look calm when inside I'm screaming like crazy. "That sounds like fun. I'd love to." I smile.

He smiles in return. "Great! I'll meet you at the parking lot after school. Later!" And then he was gone with the crowds.

Oh. My. God.

My life is perfect! The hottest guy in the universe just asked me out!

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><p>Later that afternoon, after I finally got away from my two screaming friends—yes, they found out- I went straight to the parking lot. On the way there I remember that my mom mentioned last night that she wants to talk to me about something important and she wants me at dinner. Well, shit. It's too late to cancel with Marco now…but deep down I know that that is not at all the problem. Even if I could, which of course I could, I wouldn't do it.<p>

The best solution I came up with is to go out with Marco but try to come back home by dinner…but even I know that that isn't likely to happen and that's why I thought up a Plan B.

Plan B is to pretend to forget. I mean, I can definitely pull off that trick_.__Oh__my__god__mom!__I'm__so__sorry!__I__totally__forgot!__Last__night__was__all__about__finishing__my__calculus__homework__… _yeah, that will have to do.

And since I can't exactly call or text her…I'm going to have to stand her up. Damn, I sound like an awful daughter… but there's nothing much I can do, is there? So I try to tell myself to relax, that it's going to be okay. Just one night, and no one's going to die because I skipped mom's 'important' talk.

Or so I thought.

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><p>Marco and I are laughing hysterically at the movie we're watching. He has one arm slung around my shoulder in a relaxing position. This is such a wonderful moment and wonderful moments are always over way too soon.<p>

After we leave the cinema, hand in hand, he asks if I'd like to go grab dinner with him. Of course I say yes. We walk down a few blocks from the cinema and find a small, cute little Pizzeria. Marco, being a gentleman and all, holds the door open for me. "You first, m'lady," he says in a sexy voice and I giggle—which I have to say is so unlike me.

After we ordered I notice the clock in the restaurant saying 7:45pm. I was already an hour late. I sigh and then excuse myself to the restroom to check my phone.

At first I thought something was wrong with my phone. There was no text, no missed call from my mom, nothing, which is something that is really unusual. Even when I was five minutes late, she would be calling and texting me as if someone had died. That's just how Janine is. But here I am, at a restaurant with Marco, an hour late and yet - nothing. However, an overexcited text from Lana and a 'how's it going?' text from Olivia prove that there's nothing wrong with my phone. So why didn't mom call? And why do I have this sick feeling to the deepest pit of my stomach?

I left the bathroom and tell Marco that my mom is sick and I need to go home and check on her. Thank god he understood and asked the waiter to change our order to a take-away.

About fifteen minutes later we come to a stop in my driveway and to my surprise there's no light coming from the house. Everything is totally dark and still as if no one lived here.

I open the door but Marco holds me back. "Hey. Is everything okay?"

No, it's not! My mom just didn't call to check on me when I'm an hour late! And now there's absolutely no sign of movement—no, there's no sign of a _living__thing_ in my house! I want to scream in frustration but I'm afraid he would think I'm overreacting, so I just nod.

"I thought your mom was home. Sick. But it doesn't look like anyone is home." He points out.

I shrug. I need to check on her right now. "She's probably sleeping," I reply quickly.

Marco nods slowly. "Okay, well do you want me to—"

"No. It's fine. I'll just…I'll see you at school, okay?" I cut him off, getting out of the car.

He looks hurt but only for a short second and then he nods, "Okay. Oh, and I had fun today. I hope we can hang out again soon?

"Definitely. Now I gotta go. I'll see you later." I slam the car door shut and run for the house.

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><p>The first thing I noticed when I got into the house was that mom's favourite coat was gone from its usual place on the hanger. The house also smells empty, no scent from earlier cooking, and it's absolutely quiet. As soon as I close the door, the sound echoes throughout the house.<p>

"Mom?" I call despite knowing that she's probably not here. "Dad?" He too, is probably still at work. Dad always left early and came home late. He said he has to take care of some important 'business.' He and mom fought over that quite a few times in the past.

The total silence confirms all my doubts.

I turn the hallway lights on and slowly make my way inside. When I got to the second floor, I notice the door to mom and dad's bedroom opened. I panic. They never left their door opened! But then that's not the only thing that is strange right now.

I search the whole house and it is empty, my heart clenched. This is a bad sign. A very bad sign.

I tried calling both of them but no matter how many times I tried, it went straight to voicemail. I don't know what to do so I try to convince myself that mom is probably out to do some last minute grocery shopping to stop my mind from thinking of something much worse.

One hour had passed and I'm still waiting in the living room. No sign of mom or dad returning anytime soon. What on earth is going on? I waited and waited for them until I fell asleep right there on the couch.

Then I was dreaming.

In the dream we —my parents and I— were hiking in the woods behind our house like we usually do on sunny days. The sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly, we were having a wonderful time. But then my parents just disappeared and I was all alone. Out of nowhere came a heavy thunderstorm. The sunny day from earlier was gone. It started to rain I knew I was dreaming but I was scared. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings. Being here alone made me realized how big and lonely the woods are. All I wanted was to get back to my house where I am safe. But right then it was as if my brain had been wiped clean. I can't remember a thing; I have no idea how to get home. I begin to wander around aimlessly, looking for any clue I could get, when I stumbled upon something. Looking down, I saw two bodies—pale white as sheets—lying there, dead at my feet.

Suddenly everything froze and it was as if I was caught in a state between a dream and reality. Rose in the dream may not be able to recognize the couple on the ground but the _real_ Rose knew them like she knew the back of her hand.

They're my parents.

I wake up screaming and the sound echoes through the empty house. Then I realized in horror that my parents are still gone and after the dream —nightmare— I just had, I'm terrified. Right now I am wide awake. I look at the clock to see that it's just a few minutes passed midnight. I'm so scared and now the nightmare just made it worse. But as much as I hate to admit it, I feel like there's something more behind the dream. It felt so real…I shake my head to get rid of the thought that is now forming in my head. There's no way I'm ever sleeping again until I find my parents. And with no other option, I grab my coat and flashlight and went out into the woods.

I know this is a crazy idea. And a very dangerous one. Going into the woods alone after midnight? Seriously Rose? I ask myself. But I've come too far to go back now. I need to do this. I need to make sure that the nightmare I just had...that was all it was, a nightmare.

The night is cool around me and the wind blows a strand of hair in my face. I pull the coat closer around myself to keep warm.

Unlike the dream, there's a trail leading into the woods. This is the path my parents and I normally take when we go hiking. I follow it as it leads me further inside.

Something wet lands on the tip of my nose, I wipe it away but another came, followed by another and then another. I realized it is raining and begin to shiver. This is too much like the dream… No! I need to stop thinking like that! What good will it does you? Except for making you lose your mind and unable to focus on what needs to be done?

So I keep walking and walking until what feels like forever had passed.

Goosebumps pricked my arms as I saw what is in front of me.

Shadows.

But unlike any other shadows I've ever seen, these are huge shadows. And it doesn't belong to anything or anyone. They are just there, floating around in a group.

I freeze in my track and stare. What the hell is going on with the world? I want to shout in frustration and fear.

Okay, call me crazy but I think they saw me. And don't ask me how I know because I probably won't be able to explain it to you. But then suddenly they begin to move. Curious, I follow them.

They lead me even deeper into the woods. We are so deep inside that I can see no more street lights. Just the light from the moon above, which is not much since it's still raining. When it feels like we can't go any further, the shadows stopped.

What is this place? Why are we stopping? I want to ask, but since I know I won't get any answers anyway, I keep it to myself. The rain is pouring down heavier and heavier with every minutes that passed by. I'm just about to turn back and return later when the sun is up when I step on something…soft.

I hold my breath as I look down—and stifled back a scream. There are two bare hands sticking out from under a huge pile of autumn leaves. Tears start to prick my eyes as I realized one of the hands was wearing my mom's emerald bracelet. Slowly, I start to brush the leaves away…and it is as if my nightmare came back all over again. I am staring straight at my parents, who lay there on the ground side to side, faces white as sheet. But unlike the dream, this is real. And in addition, there are shadows everywhere. The shadows I've seen earlier are probably not even half of all the shadows now, they just came out of nowhere. They're floating around my parents' bodies while I just stood there, frozen, no sign of ever moving again.

But it isn't long before I emerge from my state of shock. I am hit in the face by so much emotion it sends me collapsing to the ground.

While she was unconscious, the shadows entered her body, and together they mingled and became one…

**Ooh! What is going on? Do you have any ideas? And what do you think of the story so far? Any suggestions? Be sure to leave a comment! **

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**Prim**


	2. Chapter 2: Wake Me Up From This Pain

**AN: Hey lovely readers! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! Truly sorry! But anyway, now that Chapter 2 is here, I hope you all enjoy!**

**I would also like to thank my 4 readers who took time to review! VampGirl4EverandEver , Liv it up 124 , the gentle and giselabelikov1! You guys REALLY made my day :-) And other readers who read, I would really appreciate it if you would take a little time to review...tell me what you think of my story! :-D**

**Okay, now I can shut up :-X Hope you enjoy this Chapter! Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy. Richelle Mead does!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Wake Me Up From This Pain**

I feel cold. And wet. That's all I know. For some unknown reason my body is numb. I can't move.

Then I hear voices.

"ROSE? Where are you?" but it sounds so far away…so distant. I can't reply, I just can't find my voice.

"ROSE?—Ohmygod Liv! I found her! Come on!"

Right now I can hear footsteps, coming closer and closer to me.

Someone gasps, "Oh god! Is she okay? Please let her be okay!" then follows with, "What is she doing out here?"

Then someone shakes me gently, "Rose? Rose, sweetie, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Please say something…" another voice begs.

All I can manage is a small groan before I slowly open my eyes.

Olivia and Lana's concerned eyes fill my view.

"Oh! Look Lana she's awake!" Olivia cries.

"Rose? Are you okay? What happened? What are you doing here alone in the woods?" she asks, her eyebrows knotting together in a frown.

"I—" I begin and then suddenly all the events from last night come back to me. "Oh!" and then I begin to sob.

From the stunned expression on my friends' faces, I know they are shocked. They've never seen me cry before. Never. That's just how I am. Even when my cat died, no tears were shed from my eyes.

"Oh god, Rose…" Lana whispers and then both of them hug me in a tight embrace. And I have to admit, it made me feel slightly better knowing that my friends are here with me. But that feeling of comfort is gone too soon, "They're gone…" I say so quietly I'm surprised they catch it.

"Hmm? What is it?" Lana asks but Olivia shushed her, "She said, they're gone…"

"Who's gone? What is it, Rose? You are starting to scare me…" she looks me in the eyes.

Instead of answering, I stand up and almost fall right back down if Olivia hasn't caught me. I walk slowly, lifelessly toward the pile of autumn leaves. As soon as their pale faces come into my view, I collapse.

"No! This can't be happening!" I cry out, thrashing at the ground.

Lana and Olivia run to my side and as soon as they see what is in front of me, they scream.

"Oh god…" is all they manage to say before kneeling down beside me. Lana begins to sob quietly. She and my parents were close; we've been together since forever and right now it's as if she has just found her own parents, dead.

Olivia seems to still be in shock, but slowly she starts to recover and does the most reasonable thing I should have done since last night, "Hello? Hi, I would like to report a situation…" her voice is shaky as she talks. One look at me and she slips away to talk. I am really thankful for it, I don't think I could stand to hear the truth…spoken out loud.

Next to me, Lana seems to have finally realized that they are _my_ parents and begins murmuring soothing words to me.

"Rose…I'm so sorry, honey. This must be really hard for you. Come on, why don't we get you back to your house?" her voice is still trembling but I can tell that she is trying really hard to be strong for me.

Right then Olivia comes back and puts her arms around me, "The police are on their way…"

I don't reply and they both look at each other worriedly as if deciding what to do with me.

Before any of us have time to move, the blasting sound of the police sirens approach us.

Olivia leaves the group and go to talk to the officer with a serious look on his face. Meanwhile Lana tries to calm me down.

"Shh…it's going to be okay, Rose. I'm here for you. Olivia is here for you. We both love you very much, you know that right?" she hugs me, "We're going to get through this together, I promise."

I nod and bury my face into her shoulder, hiding away from the rest of the world.

I don't know how long we stay like that but suddenly a voice speaks to us.

"Excuse me, girls." I look up to see a face of a woman officer looking down at me. "I'm officer Heart, but you can just call me Trudy."

When the woman in uniform realized that we couldn't care less what her name is, she quickly continues, "Which one of you is Miss Hathaway?"

Lana points at me at the same time I raise my hand.

Trudy nods as she writes something down her notepad. "I'm really sorry for your loss, sweetheart. But we have to follow the process. There will be questions. Lots of them since you seem to be the only witness here-"

"Witness? Of course she is the _only_ witness here! She just found her _parents_dead! For god's sake give her some rest!" Lana practically screams at the officer.

I turn around to calm her down, "It's fine, Lana. She has to do what she has to. Besides, it's the only way to find out who did this to my parents." I said through gritted teeth.

Lana finally lets it go, "Fine. Officer Heart, you are lucky she agreed to cooperate. But at least let her get some rest first. It's been a rough day for her."

Trudy quickly nods, "Of course, you're right. When I told you, I didn't mean this exact moment. How about I drive you girls home and _you_..." she looks at me questioningly.

"Rose." I reply.

"And Rose, get some rest..." Trudy suggests.

And it's settled, Trudy drives me, Lana and Olivia home in her car.

The ride through the woods is silent, the rain turns into a drizzle and only the sound of raindrops from last night's storm can be heard.

Everything is still too much for me to take in. I still couldn't believe all of it had happened. I keep trying to tell myself that my parents are away on a long vacation and won't be coming back anytime soon...but the image of their pale faces lying still on the ground keep coming back to me and my mind yells back that they aren't coming back... _ever._

Soon we arrive in a familiar driveway and my mind screams HOME! It feels like forever since I've last been here and it feels so good to be back in this familiar place that makes me feel safe.

But I know better. No place in this world is safe. At least not until they catch my parents' killer.

As soon as I get home, I hurry upstairs to my room, unable to look at the other parts of the empty house.

Lana and Liv finally catch up with me only to find me collapsed on the bed.

I feel like crying my heart out, but no tears would come. My eyes are dried. Everything feels like a nightmare that would never be over. I feel as if I'll never wake up again.

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><p>The rest of the afternoon passes by with me lying on the bed, not actually sleeping - since I doubt I would ever be able to sleep again without nightmares. Lana and Olivia stay but sooner or later I know they'll have to leave. They try talking to me but all they get is a yes or no answer. Finally they give up and we all just remain in silence - that is, until my phone rings.<p>

I have no intention to get it so I just let it ring. At last Lana gets up and answers.

"Hello?" her voice sounds tired and I feel like a terrible friend - which I probably am. But right now I have other things on my mind so I just let it go. "Aunt Dee?" her voice rose all of sudden.

I choke.

_Aunt__Dee_? I thought, fully alert.

"Yes, yes she's here. Okay..." then Lana hands me the phone.

Curious, I take it, "Aunt Dee?" I ask immediately into the phone.

"Hello Rosemarie." my aunt greets. "I heard about the news, I'm so sorry for your lost. I understand exactly what you must be going through..." and she really does sound sympathetic. Also, I know that if anyone were to really understand me, it'd be Aunt Deena. We're not actually blood-related. Aunt Dee married my uncle Jonathan when I was only ten years old. They were so in love even I could see it back then. They were always so happy around each other. And there's not a day that goes by that I see a frown on her beautiful face.

That didn't last forever, however. On the night of my thirteenth birthday, Uncle Jonathan was found dead. Right in our backyard. Aunt Dee was the one who found his body. Pale white as sheet with shadows surrounding him, that's what she told the polices after she recovered a bit -_hold__on_. Wait a second! Why does that sound vaguely familiar...Then I remember. The _shadows_! Those were exactly what I saw around my parents' bodies! I want to cry out in frustration. But afraid that I'm losing my mind, I try to push that thought away. They're just shadows. No big deal, I tell myself. Although I'm not at all convinced, I try to forget about it for the time being.

Anyway, Aunt Dee never fully recovered from the tragedy. And from then on, I've never heard from her again. Not until this very moment. Which is why I'm so shocked right now. Man! I even once thought that this woman was dead!

"...so yeah. I'll probably be there by seven this evening." Aunt Dee's voice brought my back to the present.

Huh? Be where by seven? "What?" I ask, confused.

A sigh comes from the other side of the phone. "Rose, did you hear what I just said at all?"

I shrug to no one in particular. "Just the last part where you said you were coming...here?"

"Yes, Rose. I'll be living with you until we figured out what to do..." she explains.

Whoa! Well that's a lot to take in. After not seeing her for almost five years, this woman is going to be moving into my house?

Don't get me wrong, I know she's probably just trying to help. This mustn't be easy for her either. But...she's going to move in? Just like that?

"I know this is not the best time for this but...I really care about you, Rose. And I'll do whatever I can to help. First, by being there for you." she says when I became silent.

She's right. I need her. I need someone to talk to. And even though I already have Lana and Olivia, this is different. They don't really understand and it's not their fault. I don't think anyone could possibly understand, unless they've been through the same thing. Which in this case, Aunt Dee has.

"Okay. Thank you, Aunt Dee. I'll see you tonight." I say into the phone before hanging up.

As soon as I hang up, I was bombarded by questions.

"Whoa! Wait a minute here, Aunt Dee is coming here? You mean as in _Aunt__Dee_?" Lana exclaims.

"If you are referring to Uncle Jonathan's long lost wife, then yes. _That_Aunt Dee." I roll my eyes.

"What-? But...I don't know it's just...weird!" Lana breathes out.

Yeah, she's not the only one who thinks so. "I know...but I figured...why not give her a chance?"

They both nod in unison. "Yeah, she has been through tough times...I think she'll really be able to help you." Olivia says. Liv hadn't been here when it happened like Lana, but she knows everything.

I just nod. Then everything goes back to silent like it was before the phone call.

Soon Lana breaks it, "Anyway, as much as I want to stay, I gotta go! Mom wants me back for dinner..." she sighs as she stands up. When she sees me frozen, color drains from her face and she quickly apologize, "Ohmygod! I'm so sorry, honey! I didn't mean..." Lana shakes her head.

"It's fine. Don't worry." I reassure, trying not to let the pain leak into my voice.

Why does the reminder bother me so much?

Because you _weren't_there, my mind whispers. For all I know, I could have been able to save them if I was there in the first place.

God! I need to stop thinking like this. Putting myself through it again and again won't help make anything better!

"I'll come by first thing tomorrow. I love you Rose." Lana promises and kisses me on the cheek before leaving.

"Love you..." I say after her.

* * *

><p>I twist and turn over and over again before finally sitting up groggily. My alarm clock says 4:33pm. I've slept the whole afternoon!<p>

"Sleeping beauty's awake."

I look around my room to find Olivia sitting on my window seat.

"You stayed?" I ask.

"Of course. I'm gonna spend the night here as well and then Lana is going to come over in the morning." Liv says, walking over to my bed.

Suddenly I realized what an awful friend I've been. I have the most wonderful friends in the world and yet the word 'thank you' never once left my mouth.

"Thank you." I say, hugging her.

"Hey, it's alright sweetie. That's what friends are for." Liv smiles warmly at me.

I have to smile back. I love her so much.

And then the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." Liv says quickly before running downstairs.

Who could be here at this moment? My first thought was Aunt Dee, but then she said seven, didn't she? So my final thought is Officer Heart. Who else could it possibly be? I thought she said she was going to give me some time. But she also said she has rules to follow.

Then Lana calls from downstairs, "Hey babe! Someone's here to see ya!" her voice sounds really excited, which I don't understand at all why she's so excited to see Trudy.

I drag myself out of bed, put on my bathrobe and finally walk down to the living room.

The person standing there isn't at all who I expected. And he is definitely not officer Heart.

"Marco?" I ask in a hushed voice. For the last few hours, he was nowhere on my mind. Just completely forgotten.

But judging from what I've just been through, it's no surprise.

"Hey, just wanna check up on you." he grins.

What? Did he find out already? Did the whole town know?

"I'll be upstairs!" Liv says cheerfully, giving me a wink and then disappearing.

"How did you find out?" I ask.

Marco frowns, "About what exactly?"

I roll my eyes, "The reason why you're here?" I feel like adding a 'duh!' after that but thought that it's probably for the best if I keep it to myself.

But that only seems to confused him more. "I'm here to see how you're doing on this fine Saturday and ask if you wanna go out for dinner...?"

What? Is this a joke or something? _Fine__Saturday_? Seriously?

"My parents are dead! You want to know how I'm doing on this_fine__Saturday_? And whether I want to go out with you or not?" I practically scream at his face.

Marco's shocked face makes me realized in horror that he has no idea what I'm talking about. "You...you don't know?" I stutter.

He just stares at me, "I was only here to ask you out."

I feel guilty instantly. Damn! "Sorry..." I apologize.

He shakes his head, "It's fine...but _do_ you still wanna go?"

I snort, "I'm not really in the mood right now... or can't you tell?"

Marco looks at me as if I'm insane – which isn't really a surprise – I know as a fact that he has _never_ been turned down by a girl before. Only someone _insane_would do that.

So I guess I _really_am insane. But right now I couldn't care less. Suddenly the guy I used to spend every single moment thinking of seems like a jerk.

As if to confirm me he continues, "But I can't be with you if you don't want to spend time with me."

Silence, as the meaning behind those words sink in.

Then I gasp.

He didn't just say that! I'm so angry and frustrated right now I swear I can feel steam coming out of my ears. I want to punch this asshole in the face! Maybe break some bones...his nose sounds like a good idea, serves him right.

But all I could manage out is, "So you're breaking up with me? Not that we've even been in a relationship in the first place but that doesn't change a thing. You're going to break up with me just because I refused to go to that fucking dinner with you?" I scream in rage. Then I take a deep breath to calm myself down. He is not worth your time, Rose, I tell myself. "You know what Marco? Just go. I don't want to see your ugly face ever again! And in the future if you ever wonder why I'm not there for you anymore? Remember that it was because _you_broke up with me 'cause I refused to go out with you. And that was because I just found out that both my parents are _dead._" Then I just shove him out of my door and slam it right in his shocked face.

A loud bang echoes through the house and it is then that I feel so much better.

Asshole, I thought as I make my way upstairs to tell Liv the latest news.

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe he's a freakin' asshole!" Liv says for what must be the tenth time since I told her the news. "But he's so handsome..." she sighs.<p>

I smack her and she recovers quickly. "But that doesn't change the fact that he's a complete jerk! He doesn't deserve someone as amazing as you, babe." Liv assures me.

And I just shrug. I know I should be upset because isn't that supposed to be every girls' reaction after their boyfriends break up with them? But first, I'm not like other girls and second, after what had happened yesterday, this crap feels like a single raindrop in a storm, it's the least of my worries now.

The doorbell rings for the second time of the day, which in my case is considered a lot. We don't usually get a lot of visitors. Let alone this time of the evening. The sun had already set, making my small town, which usually is already dull, fell into a total darkness.

"I'll get it." Olivia offers, getting up from her seat on the edge of my bed.

I look at my alarm clock. 8:04pm, it reads.

Realization hits me. "Oh no! It's fine. You sit down, I'll get it. It's probably Aunt Dee." I stand up quickly and make my way downstairs.

I stand still behind the door, hand resting on the knob. My slippery palms and uneven breathing make me realized just how nervous I am.

Just a single wooden door is separating me and my long-lost aunt. I remember I used to spend almost every weekend with Aunt Dee. She was my favorite person in the family. I think a part of that is because she always made time for me. Together we would go to the zoo, the movies, the park and even to an art museum! But that has been what? Almost five years ago?

I wonder what she is like now... Is she the same now after her lover's death? After all it has been _five_ years. Is she healthy? Is she happy? Does her beautiful, porcelain-like face still hold the same smile that could brightens up anyone and everyone's day?

Holding my breath, I twist the door knob and swing it open, letting the cool air in my face.

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><p><strong>Heheee! Aunt Dee is back! Who's curious? ;-) Find out MORE about her next chapter! Chapter 3 is almost done so I promise I will update a lot faster this time. Hmm...but it also depends on you readers. I don't know if you want more of this story, so let me know by hitting that 'review' button and leave me a comment! Good or bad, I'd appreciate it either way. If you just read and subscribe...it won't make me THAT happy :-( <span>BUT if you decide to review...my smile would be THIS BIG! :-D And I PROMISE a REALLY fast update<span> -) hahaha**

**That's it!**

**Bye for now and thanks for reading!**

**x Prim.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Stranger At My Door

**AN: Okay, so I finally realized that I probably would never get a review from you guys... So I'm going to stop asking despite all my hard work in the hope that someone might actually NOTICE.**

**Enjoy reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**The Stranger at My Door**

The woman standing in front of me hasn't changed a bit. Well...at least not physically. But knowing her like somehow we are connected, I call tell that she has changed in every ways that count.

Her beautiful face is still forever beautiful. She still wears the same perfume and puts on a smile that should be able to light up my day. So why does this person standing in front feel like a total stranger?

Then I know, behind her beautiful face, her eyes that used to glint every time she smiles was gone. Now, they're just as lifeless and dull as my mood. Her smile is so...broken it wrenches my heart. In that moment I realized that aunt Dee couldn't have changed more.

"Rosemarie..." she whispers, staring at me as if _I_was the one who changed so much.

"Hello, aunt Dee." I reply, feeling a bit awkward. This is so strange. Aunt Dee has always been one of those people I could totally be myself with.

"You've changed...you have never been more beautiful, Rose." she gives me a warm hug.

Well, at least our relationship hasn't changed. Thank god.

"Why don't we go inside and warm up? The weather is unusually cold for this time of the year, isn't it?" she asks as we make our way inside.

As soon as the door closed behind us, I can feel the awkward silence hanging in the air. I glance around the living room where we are standing in. The dark TV screen has some dusts on it and I realized it's been a while since any of us spent time together for movie nights. The green couch, where I used to fell asleep on while waiting for dad to come home from work, still stands in the same spot. From first look, nothing seems to have changed. But I know better.

"So…" Aunt Dee finally breaks the silence, looking around the house. "The house hasn't changed…" she says, echoing my thoughts earlier.

I nod, "Dad was never really home and mom…well mom was always too busy to be caring about renovation."

Aunt Dee looks at me sympathetically. "Nothing has been the same since I left, hasn't it?"

There, finally someone said it. "No. My parents…they've been…obsessed with uncle Jonathan's dead. Especially mom…she has been in her office, researching, basically all the time."

Aunt Dee surprised both of us by giving me a hug. I was expecting something else entirely...something like her breaking down at the mention of her dead husband. "I'm really sorry I haven't been here for you, Rose. I was...too caught up in my own pain to notice anyone else's."

"I understand now." I murmur into her shoulder.

For the rest of the evening we just spend our time on the couch in the living room, catching up. I told her everything. From my recent boy drama to how my nightmare was the one that led me to find my parents.

"And it was almost midnight when I went into the woods...I don't really know what I was going to find but I know it's not going to be good." I inhale sharply and aunt Dee holds my hands tight. "And then I found them..." my voice lowers into a whisper. "It was so strange. It was exactly like my dream and in that moment I was not really sure if I was still dreaming or not... I guess a part of me hope that I was. But the only difference is that I wouldn't wake up. At least not until Lana and Olivia found me later in the morning." at this point, both of us have tears streaming down our faces.

"I'm really sorry, honey." Aunt Dee brushes away my tears.

"I know." is all I could manage to respond.

"But for what it's worth, I understand exactly what you are going through. And you could always come to me with anything. You know that, don't you?" she asks softly.

I nod and put on a weak smile. "What about you? What have you been up to?"

She is quiet for a moment before she speaks again, "Well, when you said your mom has been researching...she's not the only one."

My eyes widened when I realized what she meant. "Aunt Dee!"

She holds up her hand in a defensive gesture, "I know. I know it's crazy but...think about it, if you were me—" she stops, shaking her head, "Don't _you_ want to know what happened to your parents?"

Well, of course I do. And I'm determined to find out. But Aunt Dee...she had been so broken after she left five years ago. So fragile. It's hard for me to picture her going through all her husband's stuffs and not breaking down every time she sees something that reminds her of him. But I guess curiosity finally won her over. And maybe, just maybe, some part of her wants revenge on whoever did this to Uncle Jonathan. I mean, I would want the same thing. In fact, I realized, I do.

"I know. I couldn't help wondering who would be this cruel to do this to them? If I ever find out..." I said with so much hatred I could see aunt Dee flinches. "So what did you find?" I quickly change the topic.

Aunt Dee straightened up, clearing her throat, "Well, not much really but I did find something about this...camp." she says as she reaches into her purse and pulls out a piece of paper with a word written in the middle.

"Camp...Magicka?" I ask, reading the name off the paper.

"Yes, Camp Magicka." she nods.

"Um...okay...? So, is there anything important about this ridiculous camp?"

"I'm afraid you would say that. But anyway, yes. I found out that when Jonathan was still— you know..." she trails off, unable to finish. I nod understandingly. Alive. That's what she meant. "So, yeah _at__that__time_ I found out that he had been calling and receiving a lot of phone calls from this place...therefore I thought I would be able to find some answers there..." she stops.

"What happened?" I ask excitedly.

"I couldn't get in." she says simply.

Huh? "What do you mean you can't get in?" I wonder.

"It means that...according to them, 'I'm not on the list' therefore I cannot set foot on the camp." she says.

"Okay...this is starting to sound crazy." I shake my head. "What damn list? Is this some sort of camp where supernatural geeks spend their free time hanging out?"

All I get is a shake of head in return. "I have no idea. And that's what makes me even more curious."

I sigh, everything is getting weirder and weirder every minute. But somehow I think Aunt Dee has a _tiny_ idea of what's going on. "It's late. You should get some rest." she says, meaning I'm not getting any more out of her. At least not tonight.

I got up, said goodnight to my aunt and we hugged one more time before I went upstairs.

When I closed the door to my bedroom I found Olivia already sleeping on one side of my bed. Dammit, I forgot she was here waiting for me! Quietly, I creep in beside her and pull the cover over both of us.

Olivia stirs, "Mmhh...What happened down there?" she doesn't even bother opening her eyes.

"Nothing much. Just some weird stuff...I'll tell you in the morning." I answer but she's already snoring.

"Really weird stuff..." I whisper to myself before falling into a deep sleep.

I don't know where I am or what time it is when I wake up screaming, gasping for air.

"Rose!" someone was shaking me.

I blink as I try to breathe in and out.

"Rosemarie! Shh...It's okay. It was just a nightmare." someone says.

And then the light was turned on and I could see my surroundings clearly.

I'm not in the woods, I'm in my own bedroom. I'm not being chased by someone, who I was so sure was a killer, I'm surrounded by Olivia and aunt Dee, both looking at me worriedly. And I haven't been killed – stabbed – to be more accurate, I'm just breathing _very_ heavily.

"Rose? Talk to me..." Aunt Dee says softly, patting my back.

I swallowed and was about to tell them I'm alright when I saw a pair of eye, watching me from my window.

I scream.

"Rose!" they both jump.

"Someone is watching us!" I point to the window.

Both Aunt Dee and Liv turn to face the window. And there it is, a pair of sleek, green eyes, watching us carefully. Aunt Dee slowly walks to the window and then makes a sound that can only mean one thing. Relief. "It's just a cat." she breathes.

Olivia cries out in relief. And me? I just nod and let them tuck me back into bed. Only when I'm about to fall back to sleep when I realized that the eyes I saw earlier wasn't green. It was yellow. Bright yellow. And surely they cannot belong to our neighbor's cat.

* * *

><p>A few more days passed but these terrible nightmares of me being chased in the woods never left me alone. But each time it's different...how I died. Stabbed, shot, hit, burnt, drowned…choked to death... I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and gasping for air and believe me when I say those pictures of me dying were <em>horrible<em>. But tonight, however, things were a little different. Instead of me being chased and killed in the woods...I was the killer. I killed this little girl who couldn't have been anywhere more than five years old. And the worst part was, in my dreams...I wanted to kill. And the shadows were around again. I didn't know what any of this means but all I know was that I loved the feeling when the life drained out of my victim's eyes...the choking sound when they took their last, shaky breath.

I scream, bolting right up in bed, breathing fast and heavy like I've just ran a marathon.

As usual, Aunt Dee is beside me in a minute, wrapping her arms around me tight.

"Shh...It's just another dream, Rose. It's not real..." she whispers.

I begin to sob uncontrollably, "It wasn't the same...I –I killed her—"

It seems I have taken Aunt Dee by surprised. But she quickly regains her composure, "It's just a bad dream, sweetie. You would never do anything like that..." she reassures.

"But it was so real...I – I can almost feel the life leaving her body..." I stutter.

"Dreams can appear to be really...realistic sometimes. But you need to know that that is all it is, a delusion." she says and then asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. I can't bring myself to think of the little girl's pale face as I killed her again much less talk about it. "I just want to go back to bed." I say but it sounds really unconvincing.

Aunt Dee lets it go, "Alright, honey. I'll see you in the morning." and then she is gone.

When the door closed behind her I slump down on my back exhaustingly. Sleep is the last thing I want. I'm sure the nightmares are just waiting for me to go back to sleep, so they could take over.

I look at the clock, 3:43pm. Still a long way before the sun rises.

Without anything better to do, I creep out of my bedroom and slowly and very quietly make my way to my mom's study.

The door's closed just like always. This is totally stupid. Me barging into my mom's study in the middle of the night? Bad idea. If she ever found out that I went into her room and went through her stuffs, I'm so done. Even when she was...around...this is the only part of the house I was not allowed to set foot on.

Really, I planned to obey. I don't want to invade her privacy or anything but I really need some answers. And for some reasons, I'm sure she has them.

Before I could change my mind, I twist the knob and to my luck, the door swings open.

Wow. Well, this is like a whole other dimension. Everything in this room is so...ancient. Dusts covered almost all the surfaces as if no one had been in here for ages. But that smell of lavender mixed with a tiny hint of sandalwood lingering in the air tells me _my__mom_ had.

I pinch myself to stop me from thinking about her. Stop. Just stop.

Okay, now focus on the real reason why you're here, I tell myself.

I look around and since my mom hates technology, there's no computer. I figured that the best place to start is probably her desk.

The drawers were all locked. _Great_, I mentally groan.

I fumble around, searching every gaps and holes incase the key was hidden inside.

Nothing.

Finally, giving up, I sit back into her leather chair and allow myself to groan out loud.

Where would she have kept the keys? I glance at the wall where the clock is hung. 4:12pm. I better hurry. I've learned from the last few days that Aunt Dee is an early riser. Even before 5 am. she would be downstairs, reading her book and cooking breakfast.

That's when I saw it. The clock. Instead of being flat against the wall like a normal clock, it's not. It is as if something is behind, holding it up...creating a small space behind...just big enough for...

I jump out of the chair, make my way to the wall and slowly, carefully lift the clock up...

Bingo!

There it is! A small keychain hanging from one of the nails on the wall. I took it and quickly try all of them with the drawer.

Finally after three tries, there's a _click_ and the drawer is unlocked!

All there is inside are papers, documents from the 1950's to the present day, lists of names from A-Z. How the hell am I going to get any answers from here?

After a while I came across another key, hidden under those piles of papers.

Hmm...What does this key belong to? Surely it must be something really important for my mom to have hidden it safely inside the drawer.

Looking around, I then noticed a small wooden box hidden under the table. And there, in the middle is a keyhole, just big enough for the key I'm holding to fit in.

"Yes!" I exclaim out loud and instantly cover my mouth. Oops.

Without wasting anymore time, I slid the key inside and twist, another click then the lid burst open.

There, inside is something really simple but very valuable at the same time. It's probably the most valuable thing when it comes to getting answers.

It's my mom's diary.

Ticktok, ticktok, the clock is ticking, telling me my time is almost over.

I've been sitting in my mom's chair, reading her diary and so far, I haven't come across anything that can help me – that even _makes_ any sense to me, to be honest.

Most of the things inside are written in single words as if she's afraid someone else besides her is going to find out what they mean. Well, this is not useful at all.

The slightest hint of sunlight escaped through the blinds into my mom's study. Aunt Dee must be up soon so I decided to come back later.

I was about to close the diary when something caught my eyes.

_Jonathan's__death.__Shadows.__Just__like__Catherine's...and__Christopher's_.

There's a note beside it, _connection?_It reads.

Shadows...I remember them clearly now. They were there. They were floating around my parents! And wasn't that what Aunt Dee said too about Uncle Jonathan's body? That it was surrounded by dark shadows?

Goosebumps begin to prick my skin as I realized the connection.

But who are these people? Catherine and Christopher? Their names don't ring a bell... Anyway, I'm determined to find out.

With the diary hidden inside my hoodie's pocket, I left the room.

* * *

><p>The rest of my morning was spent reading through my mom's diary. Page by page. Scanning every single word to make sure nothing has escaped my attention.<p>

Aunt Dee knocked at my door once to see how I was doing and whether I want to join her for breakfast. She almost saw the diary but I managed to hide it under my blanket.

I told her I'll join her in a minute but it's been half an hour and I am making no attempt to move.

Finding out some answers is much more important than satisfying my own hunger.

Then I come across something interesting. Finally, I sighed.

_London, September 1969,_

_Mr. Hopkinson decided to pay me a visit. I don't know what he could possibly want from a normal, seventeen years old like me but I'm going to find out. _

Seventeen! I gasp, this was written since my mom was my age. Well, this _is_ going to be interesting.

_I met him in the garden for a tea – ugh I've only been in London for a few months and now I'm sounding like a real English lady – and the weirdest thing happened._

_Charles suddenly mentioned the unexplainable disappearance of my parents. I thought Jonathan had made sure that that was an off topic. I'll have to make sure to have a word with him later._

_'Do you want to know what happened to your mom and dad? I can't give you the answer but I can offer you a chance to find out.' those were his exact words. Of course I was stunned. I could never bring myself to give much thought about it. _

_'I don't suppose you are going to tell me what you mean?' I had asked._

_Charles passed me a piece of paper from across the table and I looked down to see a flyer of some kind of camp called Camp Magicka._

_Camp Magicka? What kind of name is that? Must be a camp for supernatural geeks._

_'They say don't judge a book by its cover. So don't say no just yet. This might be a lifetime opportunity...a chance to find out. Can you really say no to that, Janine?' those were his words and later on I realized he that he was right. How could I possibly say no to a chance to find out about my parents? And just maybe, a chance to get a revenge on whoever took them away from me. So I said yes and early next morning, a carriage arrived at our doorstep. Jonathan didn't have a chance to argue with me about going before I pulled him into the carriage with me._

_I wonder what lies ahead of us. Did I make the right choice? I can only hope and soon, time will tell. _

I glanced up from the page, my breathing caught.

Did my mother really mention Camp Magicka? More importantly, did she actually _went_ to whatever kind of frikkin' camp that is?

This is ridiculous. Even my mom had agreed with me when she thought it was a place where supernatural geeks hang out.

But in the end, she did go to the camp, didn't she?

Just like Aunt Dee with the researches, curiosity, and possibly the hope of getting revenge, finally won her over.

* * *

><p>Aunt Dee's footsteps echoed from the hallway as she makes her way towards my bedroom.<p>

Quickly, I shove mom's diary under the cover. The second time today, I recall.

Immediately after that, she pokes her head inside, "Rose, you said a minute. It has been an _hour_. What's going on?"

"Nothing." I quickly say, hoping my nervousness is not too obvious.

Aunt Dee scolds, "Look, Rose, if you are dealing with any kinds of difficulties, you need talk to me about it. Remember, I've been in your shoes before. I know what it's like. It's definitely not going to help you if you keep it to yourself and let it tortures you." she sits down on the edge of my bed.

I blink. Sure, there's a lot I want to talk to her about. A _whole_ lot. But I don't actually know where to start. I definitely can't just go ahead and tell her about mom's diary and what I read in there. She would think I'm untrustworthy and possibly would have mom's office locked up. For my own safety_and_sanity, I'm sure she would say. But I can't have that happen if I want to get more answers.

"Oh and since we brought that up...about you needing to ask for help, I have made a little arrangement for you." she says, looking at me seriously.

O-kayyy. I really don't like the sound of this and I am terrified of where this conversation might leads to.

"Yes...?" I ask carefully.

And that's when she drops the bomb. "Rose. You are going to Camp Magicka."

Silence.

"Tomorrow morning." she adds.

* * *

><p><strong>Mhh well this chapter was quite long! But guess what? Next chapter is longer and new characters will soon be introduced! Plus, many more actions :) Stay tuned! <strong>

**Hope you enjoyed**

**-Prim**


	4. Chapter 4: The Dark Truth

**AN: Here's chapter 4 for you readers! The longest one so far! :)**

**I would like to thank MsRozaBelikov (thanks for the suggestion by the way! I made some changes :)) and VAlover21 for your amazing reviews! I would never get tired of reading them :)**

**Happy Readings! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA. Richelle Mead does.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**The Dark Truth**

For a moment there I was absolutely stunned.

Yes, she did bring it up yesterday that she is interested in finding more answers there.

Yes, I just read about it from mom's diary.

Yes, both my mom and Uncle Jonathan went to this camp.

Yes, whoever this Charles Hopkinson guy is, he seems to have thought so too about getting answers there.

Yes, even though I hate to admit it, I do think it's possible that I will find some answers at this camp.

But no, I have never thought of attending Camp Magicka.

And now Aunt Dee is telling me that she had arranged for me to go there? Early tomorrow morning?

She has got to be kidding me!

"I'm sorry but I think there's a misunderstanding here. You see, because I am not going anywhere. My life is here. My friends are here! They are all I have left and you are saying that I will be sent to some frikkin' camp full of freaks?" I yell in frustration.

Aunt Dee heaves a sigh. "You need all the help you can get, Rose. It will only be for three months. Your friends will still be here when you return. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to send you away but this is going to benefit you. Not everyone can go to this camp! You should be grateful they accept you there."

That only makes me angrier, "Benefit _you_, you mean! You said yourself that uncle Jonathan had something to do with this place! And since you can't go there yourself, you are using me! To get information for _you_!" my voice is so loud right now I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbors come knocking at our door.

Hurt flickers across Aunt Dee's face. But right now I couldn't careless. I know I'm being hard on her and since I already know my mom and Uncle Jonathan were a part of this camp, I shouldn't be so unreasonable. At least I know it is not a camp for _freaks_. But I can't help it. This woman walked back into my life after disappearing for five years and now she's acting as if she has all the control over my life.

"I'm really sorry you feel that way instead of thinking that I'm trying really hard to help you get better." Aunt Dee says quietly, standing up. "But soon you will see that this _will_benefit you. I suggest you start packing." and with that she left the room.

I scream into my pillow as soon as she's out of sight.

Three months! _Three_ months spending time at who knows where, away from my friends, who are the only two people keeping me sane right now.

This cannot be happening! Could my life get any worse?

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, after I informed my best friends about Aunt Dee's <em>brilliant<em> idea of therapy for me, they came over.

"Think positive, at least it's only three months and not a year!" Lana smiles sheepishly.

I glare at her.

"Not helping." Olivia scolds.

Lana shrugs, "Well I've heard some parents send their kids away for a year-long therapy!"

Olivia just shakes her head at her. "But think about it, sweetie. So what if your aunt is using you in some ways? Still, the main reason is she probably wants to help. I mean, why else would she walk back into your life if it's not for that? And let's just say that it turns out to be all for her own benefits. Don't you want to find out too? About what happened to your uncle?" Liv says gently.

And she is right, as Olivia always is. She's the brain of our group.

Even if Aunt Dee is just using me, I _will_ still get answers to some of my questions. But what Liv _doesn't_ know is that recently I've come up with a theory that somehow all of them are connected. Uncle Jonathan's death in our backyard and my parents' in the woods. So, if I find out more about Uncle Jonathan's death then...I will also know more about my parents' cases!

But still, knowing Aunt Dee since I was little, I know she really wants to help me.

Well, I guess I owe her an apology after all.

"And she is right, we will still be here when you come back." Lana smiles.

"Fine. I will go._Not_to get help, since I'm already doing fine here with you guys. But to find out about Uncle Jonathan's death." I say sternly.

"Sure, whatever you say, girl."

And then we begin to pack.

That night I twisted and turned all the time. I guess I'm too excited and nervous to sleep.

Instead, I just try to picture what the camp will be like, the other kids there, my bedroom... Please, let at least one of them be sane. Considering what I've been through, I doubt I can deal with anything else beyond normal.

* * *

><p>I didn't know when I fell asleep, but finally my alarm clock went off.<p>

7:00am.

I quickly get ready. Having absolutely no idea where I will be heading, I dressed up for all kinds of weather. My favorite hoodie and jeans. If the weather is hot, I can just remove my hoodie and will be left with a tank top.

Once downstairs Aunt Dee had already made me breakfast. Waffles and a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

Mmmhh...

"This is good." I compliment, taking a big bite.

She smiles, "Oh you will miss my cooking there."

I groan.

"Oh! Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. No reason to make you anymore upset about going than you already are." she sighs.

"No! That's what I wanna talk to you about...I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday...what I said. I might have overreacted." I apologize.

Aunt Dee smiles, "Apology accepted."

Right then the door bell rings.

I got up but my aunt beats me to the door. "I'll get it. You finish your breakfast."

The door opens to reveal a very beautiful, young woman.

No, beautiful isn't quite the word.

Her hair is, I don't know how it's possible, almost silver. Shimmering green eyes and long lashes. Skinny and tall figure.

She is stunning, breathtaking and well...magical. As if she has just stepped out from her palace in a fairytale.

"Hello. I'm Elvina Grimm, Camp Magicka's leader. I'm here to pick up Miss Hathaway." she announces.

Wow, her voice! It's almost as if I'm listening to bells chiming. High-pitched and very...melodic.

"Hi. Deena Marshall," Aunt Dee says, extending her hand, "I'm Rose's aunt."

Elvina smiles as Aunt Dee leads her inside.

"And that is Rosemarie." she nods at me.

"Just Rose." I greet her.

The camp leader nods, "It's really nice to finally meet you, Rose."

And it is right then that I notice how old — well not _old_ but...wise, respectful – Elvina seems despite her young and beautiful face.

"Likewise." I smile back at her.

"I'm really sorry about your parents." she says all of sudden.

Well, news really does travel fast. "Thank you." I reply sincerely.

Elvina nods, "Anyway, we better get going. It's quite a long trip to Montana."

Whoa.

Wait a minute...

What?

"_Montana_?" I almost shriek.

She laughs, "Yes, Rose. Our camp is in Montana." at my still-stunned expression she adds, "Beautiful landscape with snow-capped mountains, crystal blue lakes, and green forests. I'm sure you will love it."

I manage a small nod.

"O-kayyy! Time to go!" Aunt Dee says loudly.

Elvina shakes hand with my aunt once more before leading me out the house.

I walk slowly behind until aunt Dee catches up with me.

"Montana?" I hiss quietly.

She shrugs and then grins apologetically. "I know, I know. You are not a nature-freak..."

"But...?"

"But it can't be that bad! Be open-minded and it will be alright." she advises.

I stop in my track, "Open-minded? That's my middle name." I smirk.

"Great! There shouldn't be a problem then." Aunt Dee grins.

I shake my head, swing my duffle bag over my shoulder and storm out of the house.

Elvina was already there, waiting.

Behind her, instead of a carriage like the one mom talked about in her diary, is a really luxurious looking, glossy black, SUV. All the windows are tinted black and looking from the outside, you can see absolutely nothing at all going on inside. Only your own face staring back at you.

"Is that all your stuff?" Elvina points to my duffle bag.

I nod and she smiles, "Good, good. Some other kids have mountains of suitcases! I really don't know what the point is. It's almost like they are moving!"

I laugh along with her. Not because it's funny but because I can't think of anyone who actually wants to move to this camp. Elvina doesn't seem to think so.

"Well, in you go!" she says in her clear voice.

I wave goodbye to Aunt Dee once more before sliding into the SUV backseat.

The door closed after me and for some reasons, I don't know if it's because of the smooth leather underneath me, the smell of the car or just the way Elvina seems to do everything so flawlessly — _too_ flawlessly, — but I feel as if my life is about to change.

Big time.

* * *

><p>We've been on the road for a while now, almost arriving at the airport.<p>

The ride was smooth and, so far, silent. Not that I mind. I enjoy the silence, lost in my own thoughts.

My phone vibrates.

A text from my friend, I smile.

_Hey sweetie! I'm SO sorry I couldn't be there to send u off! My dad's family came all the way from London& u know my dad! He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer!_

_But I really hope u have a good time there! Think positive and just be urself! People will love u!_

_See u when u return! _

_-Liv_

Huh. Be myself, I need to keep that in mind.

Then another one from Lana comes,

_Kill me better! I have to look after Lillian cuz mom and dad are too busy traveling! So sorry I couldn't make it this morning, babe! I'll see ya in...3 months! *gasp*_

_p.s keep an eye out for some hot guys! Maybe u could bring back a hot werewolf boyfriend? ;-) _

_xo,_

_L_

Nice, real nice. A werewolf boyfriend? I shake my head and can't help but smile to myself.

Elvina clears her throat.

I raise an eyebrow at her.

"We are going to have to collect your phone when you arrived. Just so you know." she explains.

I nod. Yeah, can't say I wasn't expecting that.

"You remind me of your mom. And I'm not just talking about your _I__'__m-gonna-kick-your-ass-if-you-mess-with-me_ look." she says lightly.

I freeze.

It's not because she basically just called us badasses but it's the fact that Elvina had met my mom.

"How?" I ask, "How did you meet her?"

Elvina shifts in the driver seat, "Well...I don't suppose you are aware that Camp Magicka was originally found in London?"

London? My head spins. Isn't that what my mom said in her diary? London..._1969._

Well then that would make Elvina...older than my mom, something that sounds totally absurd.

"How is that possible?" I whisper.

"How old do you think I am, Rose?" she asks thoughtfully.

I glance at her perfect face in the rearview mirror, "Nineteen? Twenty...? Twenty-five most. No more than that." I conclude.

Elvina laughs. "You are too sweet, Rose."

I grin.

"I'm actually _much_ older than that." she says, suddenly very serious.

The warm air in the car suddenly becomes freezing. Goosebumps creep on my arms.

"What do you mean?" I finally ask.

She blinks at me from the rearview mirror, "There are...things...out there you don't yet know."

I blink back.

"Like...?" I ask, keeping my voice steady.

"Alright...I don't know how to start..." she trails off, probably trying to come up with a perfect word.

"Why don't you start with yourself, then? How old are you?" I suggest.

Elvina smiles, "I'm twenty-one years old, Rose..."

I nod slowly, "O-kayyy...wait, did I hear a 'but' after that?" I ask.

The camp leader laughs lightly, "Yes. Yes, you did..." she stops, "Let's say that I was also twenty-one when your mom and dad came to Camp Magicka in London..."

I blink at her again.

Slowly, my brain begins to put the pieces together.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "But then that means you've been twenty-one for...at least _thirty_ years?" I bark out a laugh.

Either there's something wrong with my ears...or this woman has some serious problem.

Elvina's silence makes me go still.

"No. No, stop the car! I'm not going anywhere with a–" I stop. Wanting to but not daring to say the word 'lunatic.'

Elvina pulls the car to a stop. She turns around and looks at me in the eyes, "What? A freak? Is that what you were going to say?" she sounds really offended I feel the need to defend myself immediately,

"No, I mean – how is that possible? I don't get it! Are you really saying that you've been twenty-one for thirty years? Frozen?" I ask, trying really hard to sound cool when inside I'm screaming in frustration.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Elvina says calmly.

My reaction then surprised me. Instead of yelling all sorts of words at her, I just nod coolly, "Um...okay then," then I quickly add, "If you say so..."

Elvina looks at me from the mirror, "You really have no idea, do you?" she asks.

I snort, "You have _no_ idea."

"I'm not just talking about myself and my age's...uniqueness." Elvina chuckles slightly at her own choice of word.

"Uh...I don't understand _anything_ at all." I shrug.

The old, serious, Elvina returns. "Rose," she starts, turning around to look at me, "There are things...that you don't yet know."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, you said that already." then I add, "and you kinda...proved your point."

"I guess I did...hmm..." Elvina seems amused. "You are so...innocent, Rose."

I actually laugh out loud, "Ha! You are not Miss-Know-It-All after all."

Elvina frowns "Don't be so cocky. I might just prove you wrong."

I raise an eyebrow, "Try me."

"Well, for starter, do you know where we are heading?" she asks smugly, as if knowing there's no way I'm getting it right.

Oh, Elvina. You underestimated me too much. "Camp Magicka." Duh! I add silently.

"And?" she continues to ask.

"And what?" my brows furrow. And _what_?

Elvina sighs, "Do you have any idea...what kind of camp our camp is?"

Oh. Well...awkward.

I can't really tell her_camp__for__freaks_. That definitely won't end well.

Instead I say the next best thing that comes to my mind, "Uh...camp for _special_ people?"

She laughs, "Special people, huh? That's really...polite of you."

I let out a short laugh.

"Just say the word. You think we are freaks." Elvina says, a note of amusement in her voice.

Well crap...

"No –" I start.

But Elvina just waves me off, "Oh don't worry about my feelings. Just say it." she insists.

"Why?" I ask.

She sighs, "Because I know it's exactly what you think."

"You are so quick to judge..." I mutter, and then regret it as soon as the words left my mouth.

Elvina whirls around, "Oh so now I'm the one to blame? You know what's weird? _You_ are the one who judged us so quickly. You judged us so fast you didn't even bother looking clearly! Because if you did I'm sure you wouldn't missed the fact that you are just as much of a freak as we are. Right? 'Cause you are _one_ of us." she is now breathing heavily.

I'm pissed.

First, Aunt Dee wanted me to come to this freak camp. I didn't even complain – well maybe a little but that doesn't matter. I'm here now, aren't I?

And now, this freakish woman is accusing me of being one of _them_? Whatever 'them' is.

"Oh Elvina! What the hell? I don't even know what you are talking about!" I protest annoyingly.

"Oh you really have no idea, do you? What a pity! Well, then, I shall inform you of your _true_ nature." That's definitely sarcasm I hear there.

To be honest, the last few words that left the camp leader's mouth kinda freak me out. _My__true__nature_? I want to scream 'what the fuck are you talking about!' at her but I would rather be caught dead than admitting that her choice of words scare me.

Instead I decide to play along with her. "Sure tell me. I'm _dying_to know or can't you tell?" I shoot back.

Elvina is clearly annoyed with me but she answers, anyway. "Sure, Rose. You have got to be blind not to be able to tell!" I roll my eyes but she continues, "And wipe that smug off your face. You are a shadow-kissed. A really rare and powerful species. And when I said powerful? I mean, _really_ powerful as in if you are not careful enough or you don't have the control over your power... Well, your parents are the result of what can happen."

Shock.

Freeze.

Silence.

Minutes ticking by...

My brain is still trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

Then with a silent _click,_I know what she means.

"No. No, no! You are crazy! Shadow-kissed? Hell, I've never even heard of that word before in my life! You are wrong." I say shakily, breathing fast and heavy.

Elvina raises one of her perfect eyebrows, "Oh, am I? Well, tell me then, Rose. Haven't you noticed anything weird about yourself? Or even your _parents_? No terrible headaches, bad temper or...nightmares? I am particularly interested in the last one...you see, in these nightmares you don't just experience scary things like monsters chasing after you or someone trying to murder you. What makes it even more frightening is that _you_ are the one killing. You are the one who _wants_ to kill. And the worst part? If you don't learn how to control your powers, you will. It will happen. But this time? It won't only be a dream..." she trails off.

At the mention of the nightmares, I freeze. Elvina must have noticed this because when she speaks again, her voice softens, "Please, Rose. You have to understand that I want to help you. I know I probably sound like a sick bastard who enjoys this but I don't. Not at all. I'm only frustrated at myself. So please, can we start over? Let me help you." she says, her voice pleading.

I'm still incapable of speech so I just nod.

Words and pictures are all jumbled up in my head. I feel like my head is about to explode.

We arrived at the airport then. Elvina parks the car and without either of us saying anything, we get off and head inside.

The camp leader seems to have everything readied because by the time we arrived at the check-in counter, the lady in costume just smiles and hands us our tickets.

How convenient.

In less than five minutes, we are on the plane. First class, if I must say. Not that I'm bragging or anything. Economy-class would have been totally fine by me. I've never been on a plane before or even left our hometown for that matter. So, I'm just as experienced and ready as a baby bird about to take its first flight.

My stomach does a little flip-flop when our plane takes off.

Then once it reaches one level, the seatbelt sigh is turned off and the flight becomes really smooth and pleasant.

"So..." Elvina starts, looking at me from her seat. "I don't expect you to be this quiet. Is everything alright?"

I blink once, "No. No, it's not. I just found out that I'm not a freakin' _human_ and somehow my parents are dead because they couldn't control their powers. Why don't you start by telling me _everything_?"

So Elvina launches herself into a long speech.

Afterwards this is what I found out:

1) I'm a shadow-kissed. So are my mom and dad and possibly everyone in our bloodlines. Elvina had said, "The only way the gene is transferred is by blood. And even then, not everyone is lucky enough to have the gene."

I snorted at the word _lucky_ and Elvina glared at me saying, "It's true. Your powers might be really dangerous. But if you learn how to control it, it will be an extraordinary gift." somehow I doubt that.

2) The characteristics of a shadow-kissed: All of them – _us_ – are born during winter time when everything is at its darkest. We often have bad and strong temper. Bad headaches are common. And most importantly, the nightmares of us enjoying taking life away from others.

3) Once we learn to control our powers, these are some basic stuffs we could do: see better _both_ in the dark and normally, our hearing would enhances, some physical strength. But what interested me most is this one 'The Ability to Contact and Control the Shadows.' whatever that is. Elvina refused to tell me more about it. She said she doesn't even know about it much herself since shadow-kissed are really rare and it's not often you come across one. Much less have one attending her camp. According to her, shadow-kissed don't like to come out in public much. They tend to keep to themselves. The last time she ever had an encounter with one – well, in this case two – were with my parents in London.

And that was more than _thirty_ years ago.

So meeting me is really fascinating to her.

All of sudden I ask, "What about if I don't learn to control it? What would happen then?"

Elvina frowns and in that moment she looks a hundred times older. "Bad things. Really bad things. But let's not talk about it and worry you, okay? Since that's not going to happen anyway."

For some reasons, I shudder at the thought.

"So tell me about Camp Magicka." I change the topic.

Elvina smiles, clearly happy about this new subject. "Well, it's a lovely camp surrounded by mountains, forests and beautiful lakes. I'm sure you will love it."

Oh, Elvina...I'm sure I will.

"You will be assigned a roommate when you get there. You live in a small cabin in the woods. Girls and boys' cabins are separated, of course. Also, you will be given a schedule when you arrived. When you don't have any activities, you are free to do whatever you want within the camp's ground. Don't worry about being bored at all. We have so much to offer you. If you are into sports, we have a big stadium with many faculties. Swimming pool, tennis and basketball court. Even archery. Out door you can go horseback riding. And if you are interested in music, we have a music room with all kind of instruments for you." Elvina explains proudly. "But if you just want to stay in your room and relax that is, of course, possible. We have a cinema room where you can go meet and hang out with the other kids, watch movies and play games! So you see, you will always have something to do." she concludes.

Sounds not too bad, I think.

"What are the kids like?" I ask.

Elvina thinks about this for a minute, "By that do you mean 'Are they _special_, too?'"

I nod.

"Yes, they are. You will meet all sort of different species you've never known before existed. But almost all of them are just like you. They just found out about themselves a little while ago. That's what Camp Magicka does. We take these special kids in, teaches them about their true nature and how to use their gifts in a good way. But most importantly, we want them to meet and bond with the other kids. That way, they know they are not alone. Our priority is to make sure everyone is happy and in the short time they stay at Camp Magicka, they can _truly_ be themselves." she sounds really professional.

Well, come to think about it, it's not all bad. I'm actually excited to meet the other _special_ kids. I wonder what Elvina meant by 'all sort of different species.' Vampires? Werewolves? Up until now, the thought that those kinds actually existed never once crossed my mind.

"But... there are others who had discovered their true nature for a while now. For some of them it's not their first time at Camp Magicka." Elvina says.

Hmm...interesting...

"Are there any other like me? Shadow-kissed?" That word still sounds weird coming from my mouth. But I have to ask.

Elvina shakes her head.

I try to hide my disappointment. I thought that maybe coming here I would meet someone like myself.

"But don't worry, Rose. Like I said before, shadow-kissed are really rare. That's why everyone at the camp is really looking forward to your arrival." she reassures.

Just great.

Now it's my turn to be the freak I keep accusing them for.

Then another question hits me. "What are you?" I ask and immediately wish I haven't. It sounds so rude.

But Elvina doesn't seem to mind. "I'm an elf." She says lightly.

My eyes must have looked like they're about to fall out of their sockets because Elvina laughs at me. "Before you even think about it. No, we are _not_ green, little creatures. Although one of the myths is true." she says and then tucks a long strand of hair behind her ear - a really _pointy_ ear.

I gasp.

Elvina laughs even harder. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

But despite that I found out that elves are actually old, legendary and very elegant creatures. Not to mention very powerful, Elvina had said.

I find myself sighing in relief.

A few minutes later our plane lands, quickly we get my bag and then escape from the overcrowded airport.

Outside we find a black SUV, just like the one Elvina was driving before, waiting for us.

The driver door opens to reveal a young man; he couldn't be anywhere older than twenty years old. But if I've learned anything at all from the conversations with Elvina, I learned that I can never judge people and their ages just by how they look.

You would be _really_ surprised.

The two of them exchange a friendly, bear hug.

"Rose, this is Aragon. My brother." She gestures at the beautiful guy with a similar silver hair as his sister. His eyes, I noticed, are also sparkling green. "Lil' brother, this is Rosemary – or just Rose, as she likes to be call – Hathaway." Elvina introduces us.

We shake hands. "The famous shadow-kissed." Aragon grins brightly.

"The brother elf." I grin back.

He chuckles. "True. So ya ready to go?"

I nod and so we take off…

To Camp Magicka.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! So they are going to Camp Magicka! Closer and closer every single minute :-) Next chapter a lot more new characters will be introduced! Also the old ones! So stick around for that! <strong>

**Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate them and they make me want to update faster!**

**Bye for now!**

**Prim.**


	5. Chapter 5: Camp Magicka

**AN: I know it's been FOREVER since I last updated! I'm so sorry! I've been really busy! This chapter is quite long, so I hope you find it worth waiting for :) Happy Readings!**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy! I only own some of the characters and the plot.**

**Chapter 5**

**Camp Magicka**

Finally after about a forty minute drive, we are parked in front of a strong-looking iron gate.

Aragon just has to show his face to the surveillance camera before the heavy gate swings open.

"Thanks Seb!" he calls out to someone who I cannot see.

As soon as our car gets inside, the gate swings closed.

Aragon continues to drive for a few more minutes inside.

Looking out, I can see a few different things. Groups of beautiful girls gossiping and staring hungrily at the boys playing soccer in the field. Then there's a couple who looks like they are in the middle of a making out session against the tree.

Everything looks so normal. It's like I'm visiting a normal, high school campus.

Then we drive pass a lake. Couple of girls are in it. I cannot understand how come they are not freezing. Swimming in the lake in the middle of October? You have got to be a fish not to be cold.

Right then, before I even blink, I see something that should be impossible.

A flash of tail from one of the girls in the water.

I gasp.

Elvina and Aragon look at me and then follow my gaze to the girls in the lake.

Aragon laughs, "Mermaids."

At my still-stunned face he continues, "Yep. Real mermaids. Hope you are not too freaked out yet." he winks and I shudder.

There are mermaids.

Real, Walt Disney's Ariel, mermaid.

Could things get any weirder?

Soon, our car comes to a stop in front of a wooden warehouse. Or at least it looks like a warehouse.

The air outside is cool and dry. Not too cold, not too hot and not too windy. Just how I like it.

I get my duffle bag and we walk inside.

The air is warm, compare to the outside, and it smells of burning logs. It doesn't at all look like an abandon warehouse. Instead it is all decorated and cozy. The sunlight pours into the room where I'm currently standing in, making the dust in the air visible.

"This way," Elvina says, leading us to one of the closed doors.

The door opens and inside is a room with a desk in the middle.

Bunch of papers and a computer is located on the desk.

Elvina sits on the chair behind the desk so I supposed the desk is hers.

"This is my office. The one right next to it is Aragon's. So if ever you have any problems or just want to talk, you can come and see either of us." she says sweetly.

I nod.

"The other rooms belong to other camp's staffs. Don't hesitate to talk to any of them if you need help." Aragon says, settling back into one of the chairs.

I smile politely at him.

"So, Rose. It's only one o'clock. Since it's only the first day for everyone. We will let you spend the rest of the afternoon doing whatever you want. Maybe get to know some of the kids? Later this evening, we will have – what we call – the 'Newbie Night' at the camp's central bonfire. It's mandatory and everyone must be there at seven o'clock sharp. You will be properly introduced and given a schedule for the rest of your stay. But most importantly, you will be assigned a roommate." Elvina explains, excitement glistens in her green eyes. I can see that tonight must be quite exciting for her as well as for us.

"Well, off you go. I have some matter to discuss with my brother here. I'll see you tonight." she dismisses me.

I'm walking out the door when Elvina remembers something, "Oh! And Rose?"

I look at her.

"You can leave your bag in the first room we've just been in. It will be sent to your cabin after you get assign to one." she says.

I nod and then leave the room, dumping my duffle bag with the other expensive-looking suitcases on my way out.

* * *

><p>After leaving the warehouse - or what I later found out is called the Camp Hall – I begin to wander around aimlessly.<p>

Just in front of the Camp Hall is a huge circle, where I supposed the bonfire will be held tonight. Surrounding it are big logs for sitting on.

Yup, this is definitely the Central Bonfire Elvina was talking about earlier.

Walk a little bit further from the bonfire area then, there are two separate paths. Left and right.

The left one is the one Aragon drove passed before. Where most of the people are, I thought.

The right one, however, seems really deserted. It seems to lead somewhere into the woods.

The right one it is, I thought as I walk down along the pebbles-covered path.

Dusts scatter into the air under my feet, creating a white smoke surrounding me as I walk.

Very soon I'm in the middle of a very green forest. Trees are everywhere I look. Big and small creating a canopy that let's only enough of sunlight to brightens the place in.

Then I come to a stop in front of two signs that lead to another two paths.

_The Sons _the first one says. The boy's cabins, I thought.

_The Daughters _the one pointing to the right says. Girls' cabins.

I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to go to the cabins area yet. Until I'm assigned my own, I think I should keep away.

I'm making my way back when suddenly I feel really dizzy.

I stagger and grab the closest tree to steady myself.

Then as fast as it first came, it vanishes.

I blink. _What the hell_?

Well, you shouldn't be too surprised with all the crazy stuffs going on here, Rose. After all, you aren't exactly normal yourself, I tell myself.

Then as I am just about to leave something _really_ weird appears before my eyes.

Call me crazy but I swear I think something or _someone_ is materializing in front of me.

I blink rapidly, expecting it to disappear.

Instead of disappearing, a form begins to take place right in front of me.

I gasp.

A human.

A guy.

Not a _normal_ guy, obviously.

"Shit! What the hell?" I yell in panic at no one in particular.

"You are too beautiful for such words, my dear." a voice – a very clear and velvety voice – says to...well _me_, I guess.

"Ah!" I scream. "Who are you? Explain, now!"

The guy standing in front of me right now is...well, really charming.

He has a brown hair. It is styled in a little bit messy way that makes him look good.

His eyes are another story. Green eyes, just like Elvina's but yet completely different. Elvina's are one shade of bright, sparkling green. But with this guy they are shaded from light to the darkest shade of green. They are protected under dark and long lashes. He is charming – sexy, even.

But at the same time there's also something about him that screams 'danger!' I guess that bit only make him even more...desirable.

This mysterious guy laughs at me, "I guess the only explanation I can give you is..." he leans in close as if what he's about to say is a big secret, "I'm a fae."

My eyes widen. Not because of what he just said but because of how I knew.

I was looking – _staring_ – at him the whole time and I swear his lips didn't move at all when I heard the last part. It is as if the word is _planted_ inside my head. No one said anything, yet it's there.

I gape at him and from the look on his face; I can tell he is just as surprised.

"You heard?" he asks, _speaking_ the words this time.

I nod. "What the hell did you just do?"

He is still stunned, but then he blinks, it's gone. The smug from earlier when we first met is back in it's place.

"Well, well. Isn't this interesting..." he speaks each word slowly, clearly.

"What was that?" I hiss.

The guy ignores my question completely. Instead he says, "I'm Adrian Ivashkov. It's really nice to meet you, _Rosie_."

I glare at him.

"How do you know my name – and I swear, if you ever call me by that name again I'm gonna chop of your tongue so you will never speak again, got it?" I didn't wait for his answer before I continue, "And what is it you meant earlier? What is going on?" I ask so fast I'm surprised he catches anything at all.

This Adrian dude holds up his hands, "Slow down, babe. First, I know your name because, well, it's kind of obvious. And as for your other questions, I'm afraid I can't give you the answer right now since I don't even understand myself! Hmm...this is so strange. It never happened before..." at the point his voice is so soft and quiet I think he must be talking to himself.

Before I can ask him what he means when he said it's kind of obvious or scold at him for calling me _babe_, Adrian vanishes.

Yes, he just vanished out of thin air, leaving my mouth hanging open.

"I'll see you tonight." there it is again! The words that somehow ended up in my head. He is nowhere to be seen anymore but judging from his voice, he is clearly amused.

I snort, well that makes both of us.

I just stand there and let a few minutes passed when I figured there is nothing I could do.

He's gone.

And I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, this is _still_ a camp for freaks.

And you're one of them, the voice inside my head says. I ignore it.

So I left the woods – nothing stopping me this time.

I walk along the path until I'm back standing in front of the Central Bonfire.

This time, I follow the right path. The one leading to the lake _and_ the crowds.

Just as I'm passing the lake, the wind blows a strand of hair into my face. I shiver and look at the lake where the girls – well, _mermaids_ – are still swimming in.

Even if you are a fish – and mermaids are _half_ fish, _half_ human – you still have got to be freezing in that water!

One of them catches me staring and whispers to the others.

Soon, I become the center of their attention.

"What are you staring at, bitch?" one of them snarls.

Whoa! What the hell is with her? Does she have PMS or something? Then I almost snort out loud at how ridiculous that sound. Mermaids with PMS? There is only one word for it: Insane.

"Sierra!" another one hisses at the snarling mermaid.

The other one, who I supposed is Sierra - glares at her. "She is looking at us as if we are _freaks_. Do you seriously have to be so nice and friendly right now, Nia?"

By now, I'm standing on the dock stretching out into the lake, getting a clearer view.

There are altogether three... mermaids floating in the water. I can also see that all three of them are really pretty. So pretty it almost hurts to look.

None of them are wearing any tops but their shining golden hair covers just about everything.

The closest one – Nia – is looking at me. Her eyes are the color of sapphire. Her long, wet blonde hair sticks to her forehead. She is the prettiest thing ever.

"Oh come on now, Si. She is just fascinated! I doubt you've ever seen anything like us before, right sweetheart?" Nia's blue eyes sparkle at me.

Yeah, right. But I only shrug.

"See? No harm done." Nia looks at her friends. "I'm Noria by the way. But please call me Nia." she smiles, extending her hand to me.

I hesitate a little, but noticing Sierra's stare, I shake Nia's hand.

"Rose. Nice to meet you." I say when she finally let go.

"Oh! As in...Rose Hathaway?" the third mermaid speaks up for the first time, her eyes wide.

"That would be me." I reply, suddenly self-conscious.

Her friends look at her questioningly. "You stupid people! It's the shadow-kissed girl!" she scolds at her friends.

Realization hits them. "Oh great!" Sierra groans, "I didn't mean to get on the wrong foot with you. Sorry." she adds quickly.

Hmm.

Isn't this interesting? It is as if they're...scared of me.

Wow.

I make a mental note to talk to Elvina about this.

"Don't worry about it." I wave her off.

And suddenly, we're all in a 'best-friend' mode.

"I'm Libby! And have I mention how much I love your hair? It's so...brown!" she giggles.

I put on my best Aww-thanks-sweetie-yours-is-even-prettier smile.

They all chant the word _aww_.

"Okay." I say quickly. Time to go. "Gotta run! It was nice meeting you."

"Aww! You have to go?" Libby pouts.

I swear goose bumps just prick my whole body. "Yup."

"Well we will definite see you later tonight, right? Maybe they will let us be roomies!" she shrieks.

"Yay!" I try my hardest to look excited.

Oh God, I know I haven't been so nice lately but if you have any mercy at all, please do not let me share a cabin with her – with any of them. _Pleeeeeease_.

Finally, I get away from them. Finally. Don't get me wrong, they seem nice enough. Just a _tiny_ bit too..._enthusiastic_ for my type.

I continue walking down the path leading away from the lake.

Very soon I arrive at the field area where the beautiful people are now hanging together in a group, chatting furiously.

"Oh my gosh! You see that dude over there? Yes! That one with dark hair! He is sooooo mine!" One of the girls with bright, auburn hair – actually it's more _orange_ than auburn. Just like carrot. Yup, that's it – squeals to her friend.

"Dude, that's not fair!" the other girl protests.

"You should know better than to use that _F_- word with me when it comes to boys." Carrot says, flipping her hair over her shoulders and winks at the dark hair boy.

Scary, I mentally snort.

Still, I follow the girls' gazes to the middle of the field where the black hair guy is talking to his guy friends.

She is right, I have to admit, and he is handsome alright. Dark hair cut short, the front falling slightly into his eyes – which I can't tell what color they are from here. He isn't that tall but, still, taller than me—

"Stop drooling over him already, you slut! I said he's mine!" a furious, high-pitched, voice snarls.

I look away from the guy, expecting some more drama between Carrot and her friend. Instead, I find her looking – _glaring_ – straight at me.

Ugh. What is with all the girls here? I swear I can practically smell their hormones all over the place.

Anyhow, she called me a slut. A frikkin' _slut_! There is no way that carrot-bitch is getting away with it.

I am, after all, Rose Hathaway, the powerful shadow-kissed. I laugh at myself for even thinking of that but then Carrot's hateful glare sets me off. Does she think she runs the place? And every guy she thinks is hot becomes hers? Stupid, Carrot head.

In the end, I decide to show her that I won't – or _ever_ will – do as she says.

Removing my hoodie, I am left only in my white tank top. The neckline is cut low just enough for me to pass for the word 'sexy' but not _that_ much to reach the 'slutty' level.

I release my hair out from the elastic band that tied it into a tight ponytail and let the wind styled it into a wild and sexy look.

In that moment, I feel like the old Rose again. The fun, witty and even _flirty_ girl that used to be me before my parents died. Every summer, Liv, Lana and I would wear our matching tank tops and bright color shorts to show off our tanned skin and slender bodies. I remember how the boys would stare at us hungrily and we would all laugh. Lana would wink at them and I would give them my best man-eater smile. But Liv would always be the one to wave them off. Beauty with a brain, I thought proudly of my best friend. We aren't the most popular girls, but we are definitely not an outsider either.

Well, well, it's time to bring that girl back.

Wicked Rose, I chuckle to myself.

I give Carrot a sweet smile but I know well that my eyes are as cold and slit as a snake.

Then I walk straight, shoulders back and my chin hold up high, toward the poor guy that caused all this drama without him even knowing it.

Behind me I can hear gasping of the other girls so I suppose my earlier suspect was right. Carrot _really_ does run this place. I also realized that it is probably not often her words are ignored. And that realization makes me smile.

My number one goal, to piss off the carrot-bitch, accomplished.

I am now approaching the guy, he has his back to me and it seems to me that he in the middle of a conversation.

Sorry, I'm afraid I will have to interrupt you.

Lightly, I tap his shoulder. The guy whirls around to face me. As soon as his gaze fell on me, his mouth falls open. Looking around, I can see that all his friends have the same look on their faces.

I smile, I guess the wind did a fine job on my hair. Thanks wind, I silently whisper.

"Can I help you?" he asks, stuttering a little. Then he quickly composes himself and straightens up. "What can I do for you?" he tries again, this time his voice is firm and confident.

I can see now that his eyes are bright blue. He is gorgeous. But sadly, he is too young for my type. Although I know in reality that he is probably the same age as me and it is just because I have a _thing_ for older guys.

But that is the least of my worries now. I need to focus on what I'm doing.

So, I nod, "Actually, yes. See that car—" I stop myself just before the word 'carrot' slips out, "That super bright, orange hair girl over there?" I jerk my chin coolly toward Carrot's direction.

All the guys turn their heads to look at a very pissed-off, green-faced and orange hair, Carrot. Oh I swear in that moment she looks even more like a carrot! As if that is even possible!

"You mean Minerva Sampson?" one of the guys raises his eyebrow at me.

_Minerva Sampson_. So the Carrot Queen has a name!

"Yes...whoever you are, you are right." I smirk at him.

"Flynn Ashton." he grins at me.

"Right," I say as if it's something I already know, which is kinda stupid considering the fact that I've just asked for his name. Anyway, Flynn Ashton doesn't seem to mind a bit. "As I was saying...Minerva and her mean girls," I pout a little at the word _mean girls_, "They think I'm a slut because I was checking you guys out." I heave an over-dramatic sigh, "Especially since Minerva already declares that you..." I raise an eyebrow at the blue-eyed guy, realizing that I don't know his name either.

"Oh that was rude of me. I'm Christian Ozera. And you are?" he smiles politely at me.

"Rose Hathaway." I smile back.

The guys don't seem to have any idea who I am. Which for the time being, is really good. I don't have the time to explain myself and my 'special' abilities to them just yet.

"It's nice to meet you, Rose. So what were you saying? About Minerva declaring something?" Christian asks, excited.

Hmm...enthusiastic. I like that.

"Oh yes. So you see, I was just being curious, that's all. I mean, I'm from an all-girl school and suddenly there were these good looking guys everywhere! Blame me for wanting to know! Now Minerva thinks I'm a slut because I was looking at her so-call boyfriend." I say sadly. But inside I'm laughing. Seriously, Rose? All-girl school? Where did that come from?

Christian just looks at me with wide, confused eyes.

"You, being the boyfriend, Christian." I add.

Realization hits him. "What the hell?" he groans.

I smile at his reaction. It seems that Christian has absolutely zero interest towards Minerva.

"Yes, that is really too bad, isn't it? Even if you are her boyfriend, it doesn't really give her the right to declares that anyone who so much as look at you, will be immediately considered breaking her order. Meaning, a start of an ugly fight." I shake my head.

I'm starting to enjoy this. And from the look on Christian's face, I think I'm also doing a great job. Of course, I know Christian isn't really Minerva's boyfriend. You have to be a complete idiot not to notice that this guy _despise_ her. She just wants him so badly when he doesn't care a bit about her.

You really shouldn't have pissed me off, Carrot Queen.

"She is not my girlfriend." Christian quickly denies.

"Oh! No?" I gasp, "She doesn't seem to realize that though...However, I know just how to fix that!" I give him my best man-eater smile.

Of course, he wants to know what my idea is. My man-eater smiles never let me down before. It's my super secret weapon.

"Well...first, you should come and sit with me over there. At my table." I point at an empty table just a few feet away from where Minerva and her followers are.

Not too close, and not too far. She wouldn't be able to hear what we are talking about but she definitely wouldn't miss it if me and Christian look like we are flirting and having a great time together.

"You know, so Minerva and the other girls would see that you are not her boyfriend?" I explain.

"Of course." he says.

All of the boys make a move to join us but I quickly stop them, "I'm sorry. You guys can't come with us right now. It wouldn't be satisfying." at their disappointed faces, I add a cheerful 'Sorry!' and then lead Christian across the field to the table.

We pass the area where Minerva and her crew is standing and man! She looks _furious_...and embarrassed. And I swear, if look could kills, I'd become fried from the inside out.

Goal number two: to humiliate her. Accomplished.

So Christian and I sit at the table, talk, laugh and pretend to flirt – oh and I have to say, Christian Ozera is a big flirt – while Carrot Queen just stares at us – well, _me_, to be accurate.

"So, what are you? If you don't mind me asking." I ask him, smiling widely to keep up the act.

Christian just shrugs like it is no big deal, "I'm a warlock."

"A warlock? That is like a term for a witch dude, right?" I wonder out loud.

Ozera grins, "Yeah. A witch dude. That's exactly what I am."

Before he could ask me what I am, I fire another question at him. "So what? You chant spells? Turn your enemies into frogs? Make love potion?" I laugh at the last one.

Christian rolls his eyes at me, "What are you, like five years old?" but he does chuckle.

I snort, "My face may look young but my experiences and knowledge make me a lot older than that. I'm seventeen –" then I stop. No, wait. _Actually_, I'm eighteen. Today is my birthday! I totally forgot about it! What kind of idiot forgets her own birthday?

"What is it?" Christian asks, surprised by my sudden silence.

"Nothing." I smile, "I'm _eighteen_, by the way."

I don't know why I lie instead of just telling him it's my birthday. I guess it's the fact that I hardly know anybody here. I guess I don't want them acting like they actually know me – like any of them actually _cares_ – sing me Happy Birthday and pretend as if we've known each other forever. Because deep down I know that the two most important people in my world, the ones I wish were here to sing Happy Birthday to me, are gone. And those who mean anything to me at all, my friends, my aunt..., everyone is too far away.

So I quickly change the topic, "Anyway, what can you do?" I ask Christian.

"With my magic?" he asks and I nod. "Well, just recently I've learned to create fire. I can easily make a fireball in my hands right now if you wanna see?"

"Oh no, it's fine. I've seen movies before. I get the picture." I let out a short laugh.

Christian shrugs, "Alright then, if you ever need a demonstration..."

"I'll keep that in mind, fireboy." I smirk and he wrinkles his nose at my nickname for him. As if it stinks or something.

There's a silence between us until I speak up, "Girlfriend?"

Christian Ozera actually blushes!

"No. Not really." he says shyly.

I raise an eyebrow at him, "Not really? That's not a 'no.' Do share." I suddenly sound really nosy. But I want to know, and apparently Christian doesn't seem to mind.

Fireboy shifts uncomfortably, "Um, I don't know what to tell you. We're not actually going out but..." he trails off, picking at the wooden table.

"But...? But you have a major crush on her?" I guess.

Christian blushes into an even redder shade of red!

"Ohhhh...fireboy is in love!" I tease. "So? Who is she? How long have you known her? Did you ever ask her out?" I ask, suddenly very interested in other people's businesses.

And maybe, just maybe, I can use the information against Minerva later. You know, brag on about how Christian Ozera had already found himself a really hot girlfriend. They are so in love and have been for the last two years...blah, blah, blah.

"Just a few hours, actually." he admits.

I'm snapped out of my little daydream, "What?" I ask, frowning.

Christian's face is redder than a tomato at this point.

Realization hits me. "Oh! Damn it! I'm sorry! But don't worry, I don't think there's anything wrong with having a one night stand. Nothing at all. I mean, you are a guy after all. A teenage guy. What did I expect? For you to study in your bedroom like a good boy—" I start to babble like I always do whenever I'm nervous.

"Rose!" Christian exclaims loud enough for me to stop babbling. Then he groans, "That wasn't _at all_ what I meant!"

Oops. Major whoops.

He is going to be so mad at me! I basically just called his crush a prostitute.

Damn it, Rose!

"Sorry!" I say quickly.

Christian just rolls his eyes before explaining himself, "What I meant was, I just met her here. Earlier today. We had a little nice talk but that was it. I haven't seen her anywhere after that."

Ah.

So what he's saying is that his lover is also a freak.

I really don't know what is worse.

I scold at myself instantly. I really need to stop thinking like that. Unless, of course, I'm also admitting that I, too, am a freak.

"Well, maybe you'll see her again tonight at the bonfire." I say.

Christian smiles, "I really hope so."

A silence falls between us. I can still feel Minerva's hateful glare on the back of my head – I wouldn't be surprised if I find a hole back there afterward.

"You don't really go to an all-girl school, do you?" Christian asks all of sudden.

Crap.

For a moment I consider lying. Truth is, I actually like this guy. He seems cool enough and well...he is the most _normal_ person around here. No tail, no scary, bad temper and most importantly, he _doesn't_ just disappear out of thin air.

But there's something about the way he's looking at me. Hopeful, maybe? Like he actually hopes we could be friends. I would really hate to ruin that.

So I just shrug, "You figured me out, fireboy. I'm impressed!"

Christian just rolls his eyes, "I knew it. The way you handle all the boys...it's so _obvious_!"

The way I handled all the boys? I chuckle. "It was so _easy_. All I did was give them this," I flash him my man-eater smile.

And he sighs.

By the time the sun begins to set, I've found out much more about Christian Ozera.

First, this is also his first time here at Camp Magicka. According to him, Elvina just pops out of nowhere and the next thing he knew, there was a knock on his front door.

Christian arrived at the camp this morning, amongst the first group of kids to get here. Within the group is also where he first met his mysterious lover.

When I asked him more about her he just shook his head and insisted that I see her for myself. His exact words were 'She is just...beyond words. You have got to see for yourself to get it.' Afterwards I teased him about it. Not only is he now madly in love, his ability to think properly is also gone. Oh Christ!

I also told him the reason why I threw myself at him in the first place. Turns out Christian finds it really ridiculous that Minerva likes him. "She is too..." he starts.

"Orange." I joke.

He laughs and then adds, "Witchy. Too witchy for my type."

"You can just say the word bitchy, you know. It kinda rhymes anyway." I shrug.

"No, I used that word on purpose. You do know she's a witch, right?" He raises his brow.

Nope.

Actually I don't.

I have _absolutely_ no idea.

So...I've just pissed off a witch.

_Niiiice_. What a wonderful way to start your stay here, Rose.

But then, it's a good thing I have a warlock friend here right? If the witch decided to put a spell on me, fireboy could just set her carrot hair on fire.

Fun! Definitely something to look forward to.

I smirk, "Well, a bitchy witchy then."

Christian chuckles, "Bitchy witchy. I like that.

And that's how we become friends. Like really become friends. By sharing the same annoyance toward the Carrot Queen slash Bitchy Witchy...whatever you want to call her.

A while later, a loud voice booms through all the gigantic speakers around the campsite.

_"Attention, all campers! You all are to gather up at the Central Bonfire for the Newbie Night immediately. Please make sure to find yourself a comfortable seat and be ready..._"

Excited chatters went through the campers. Everyone is nervous. This is where we get assign our roommate for the rest of our three-month stay. It could either be an amazing, fun stay or a long, unbearable time. Almost everything depends on the room-selecting process tonight.

Christian stands up and motions for me to join him and the others as they make their way toward the meeting point.

I rise from my seat, take a deep breath and send a pleading prayer to God.

Then I follow him as we blend in with the crowd.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go! What do you think? Please let me know by leaving a review! :) Next chapter, the Russian God is coming back! It's a promise :)<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**

**xx Prim**


	6. Chapter 6: Newbie Night

**Alright guys! Chapter 6 is here! Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews! I get so happy everytime I receive them! Well...I guess this is the chapter you all have been waiting for...read to find out why ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. Richelle Mead does. I only own the plot and some characters.**

**Chapter 6**

**Newbie Night**

The bonfire burns really bright against the dark sky. The fire sends a soft orange glow everywhere, warming those within its radiance.

Christian, the rest of the campers and I are huddled close together in a big circle around the blazing fire.

It seems that in this cool night, everyone wants to get as close to the warmth of the bonfire as they can get.

In the middle of the circle stood Elvina. She is wearing a white, flowing cloak. Close to the orange glow, it looks like she's wearing a golden dress. Her silver hair is flying freely in the blowing wind and the glow seems to make her whole body radiates. Elvina looks angelic. In that moment she kind of reminds me of Cleopatra – an _angel_ version of Cleopatra. Then just beside her is Aragon. He doesn't look any less beautiful. His usually tanned skin seems golden under the light of the fire. His messy hair is...well _messy_ and wild. Aragon reminds me of an ancient, Greek god. Simply breath-taking.

"Greetings, boys and girls of Camp Magicka! As some of you might have already realized, tonight is our Newbie Night. Our first official night together as a family. Yes, everyone here is now a part of one, big family. A son, a daughter, a brother and a sister. The blood that runs in each of your vein is special – or as we like to call, is _touched by magic._ Everyone knows why they're here. You might think you know who you are. But really, you don't. Not yet anyway. What you know is _what type of blood _you have. The blood of a vampire, of a werewolf...a fae...that's really all you know at the moment. But here, at Camp Magicka, you will learn about who you _truly_ are. What you can do, what kind of power you have and most importantly, how to survive in the world out there on your own because, my children, the world out there is much much more dangerous than you could ever imagine." Elvina's voice echoes around the circle, "But don't worry and stressed out just yet!" she laughs, "Our main focus is still for you to have fun, make new friends and for you to have a chance to really be yourself. Still, keep in mind that there will, nevertheless, be a time where you have to spend learning about yourself and some other stuffs that may be involved. But for tonight, let's just get to know each other! Are you ready to take the first, official step into Camp Magicka?" the camp leader's voice is louder, more excited now.

"Yes!"

"What? Is that all you've got? ARE YOU READY?" Elvina is shouting now, a grin spreads on her beautiful face.

"YES!" everyone shouts back.

"Alright! Then let the fun...BEGINS!"

The crowds begin to whistle, scream and shout loudly in excitement.

I turn to Christian, "They seem a little too enthusiastic to me, don't you think?"

Christian shrugs, but I can see the glint in his eyes. He, too, is really excited about tonight. "It's not really a surprise."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

He shrugs again but this time when he speaks, his voice sounds...sad, "Well, we have a better life here, don't we? A friend, someone who doesn't think we are freaks...I think these are the closest people to a family we'll ever get."

I let the meaning of those words sink in. Wait - is he saying..."You mean these kids don't have a family?" I feel like adding a 'too' after that but decided that I might be wrong and I don't want him pitying me.

He shakes his head, "Most of them don't."

My mouth forms a big "O"

Seriously? All these kids...poor them – poor _us_. Maybe the reason some of them are so cold is because of that. I think of Minerva and the fact that maybe she, too, lost her parents. Although it's no excuse for how she treats people, I don't think I can look at her the same way again.

"But I don't understand! Why? Why _us_?" I no longer feel like hiding it anymore.

Christian doesn't seem surprised, "Because of the world we live in, Rose. Everyday is dangerous, a challenge. You never know what's going to happen and when."

"Like what?" I press.

Christian has this look on his face that says _should I tell her? I shouldn't but what harm can it done? _

Finally he decides to tell me, "Hunters. My parents used to talk about them." he says in a hushed voice, as if what he is telling me is dangerous, a top secret.

That gets my attention. "Hunters?" I ask, in a voice somewhat disbelief. "Like what? Are we talking Van Helsing?" I joke.

Christian glares at me. "This is no joke, Rose. These hunters may only be humans but they are deadliest thing in our world."

Something about the way he says it sent chills down my spine. I swallow, "But they only hunt vampires, right? Like vampire hunters with the stake, holy water and all those stuffs?"

"That's where you're wrong." he says, his voice dead serious. "These people hunts _all_ of us – tainted blood, that's what they call us. They think our bloodlines was touched by dark magic. They don't care if you are a vampire, a werewolf or even a damn mermaid! Can you imagine that? _Mermaids_! What cold-hearted person could do that?" he shakes his head.

I shiver. "So they are responsible for most our people's deaths?" Some part of me is beginning to wonder if they are the ones who killed my mom and dad.

He nods, "And the worst part is, you never know where they are or what form they might take. For all we know, it could be one of our school teachers or even classmates."

I gasp, "Classmates? You mean some of the hunters are still teenagers?"

I don't know what worries me more, the idea of someone being a part of something this horrible this young or that just incase I run into one of them, I might be too stunned to defend myself – then a horrifying thought hits me, what if one of them turns out to be a boy or girl from my class? I push that thought away, terrified.

Christian lets out a short laugh but there's absolutely no amusement to it, "Not just teenagers. The gene is passed through bloodlines. So from the moment your child can walk, he or she is sent to training."

I swallow, "How old? How old when they are sent away for their first assignment?" I need to know.

Christian sighs, "I don't know, ten? Eleven?"

I must have look mortified because Christian quickly changes the topic. "So you see, there are lots of threats out there for us. Becoming an orphan at young age is consider a normal thing in our world."

I shake my head, "It's horrible..."

Christian's face softens, "It's how it is..." then he quickly adds, "That's why most of us are so excited about Camp Magicka. It's not often we get to be ourselves – let alone have _any_ kind of fun."

Well, I guess that's understandable. Before I could say anything more, Elvina speaks up again, reminding me of where I am and what I'm supposed to be doing.

"Alright! First step, we're going to assign you a cabin and a roommate!" The crowds cheer. "Let me tell you how it's going to work," Another round of cheers and applauses. "So, I'm going to say the name of the cabin and then I'm going to draw two names from these boxes –" she points to two square boxes. One is blue and another is bright pink. I don't have to be a genius to figure out what they mean – one for boys, one for girls. "That way it's fair and you don't think I'm taking any sides. Once your name is called, both of you will step forward, into the middle of the circle beside me, and introduce yourselves. This way every single one of us can get to know you as well." Elvina pauses as if to see if we're catching up. Then she continues, "Okay, then. We'll start with the ladies. The first cabin is Alexandrite and the girls who will be staying in this cabin in..."

The silence is so...silent. I can practically hear everyone's heartbeat, including my own. _Thump thump._

Elvina reaches into the pink box and pulls out a slip of paper, "Sebille Sommers." she reads out loud.

I notice one of the girls from Minerva's crew stands up. She gives the watching crowd a wave and winks at a group of hot guys.

Ugh.

If the fact that she's one of Minerva's puppies isn't enough, her attempt to flirt with half of the camp is. Please, don't let me room with her, Elvina. Just please.

The camp leader draws another piece of paper from the pink box.

_Thump thump_.

"Sierra Ross."

Phewwww, I sigh in relief.

From somewhere behind the crowds, a girl stands up.

It's Sierra from earlier in the lake, I realize.

Sierra the mermaid.

Only now she is walking swiftly to join Sebille in the center. _On her feet._

I have to admit, I was taken aback. But come to think about it, I didn't expect her to stay in the water 24/7. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, what do I really know about this world?

"Alright, Sebille and Sierra. You may introduce yourselves." Elvina instructs.

They did, both sounding really confident. I already know that Sierra is a mermaid but I've just learned that Sierra and her two mermaid friends are really triplets. Sebille, a tall and skinny girl with dark hair, green eyes and olive skin, is a vampire from South Africa.

Elvina nods in approval, "Good job. From now on until the end of camp, you two are roommates and I hope you treat each other nicely and be there for support in times of need."

The two girls nod.

"Here's your key." and Elvina hands them two keys to cabin Alexandrite.

They both accept it and go back to their seats.

"Next...cabin Amethyst..." Elvina draws a name, "Minerva Sampson."

Forget Sebille and her earlier flirting. Minerva can't even walk pass a single guy without touching them. Well, Rose. She's the Queen Bitch after all.

My heart begins to beat even faster.

_Thump thump thump thump_.

Elvina reads the name, "Faylinn Frost."

Oh I wish I could explain how relieved I am.

"Thank god..." I whisper.

Christian just laughs at my reaction.

He was right earlier when he said Minerva is a witch. But Minerva herself has the nerve to add 'powerful' in front of it.

"Pathetic." I grumble.

Faylinn Frost is the complete opposite of Minerva. Minerva has long, orange hair, Faylinn has jet black hair styled into a bob. Minerva is tall and tanned while Faylinn is a tiny girl with pale skin. Minerva is a witch, Faylinn is a faerie - more like a pixie, in my opinion, judging from her size. And last but most importantly, Minerva seems like the biggest bitch, Faylinn, on the other hand, appears to be a sweet and innocent girl.

Poor girl, I feel truly sorry for her having to share a room with the biggest bitch of Camp Magicka.

But like they say, light travels faster than sound. That's why when she opens her mouth and started speaking, I realized I was dead wrong.

"I'm Faylinn Frost. A faerie, fay, pixie...tinkerbell. Whatever you want to call me." Then she winks at someone in the crowd. "I may be small in size, but if anyone of you dare to cross me..." she scowls and points her manicured-finger to the bonfire. White sparks flies from her finger and the fire cracks, shooting orange glow in every direction. People sitting close to the bonfire, including me, scatter away to avoid being barbecued.

Elvina scolds at her but Faylinn just smiles, her eyes glinting mischievously, "You get the picture." she says to the crowd. Then she cackles and turns to Minerva, "Hey, roomie." she says, grabs the key from Elvina and with a last wink to the crowd, strides back to her seat.

Minerva is stunned for a moment. Then she quickly scans the crowd. Her eyes fall on me and an evil smile begins to spread on her face. Our eyes locked for a moment and then with a flip of her carrot hair, she marches back to her friends.

"Just great..." I groan. Two bitches rooming together. Drama is just what I need right now. But then, if it will help keep my mind off things at home...bring it on, bitches.

Elvina continues to read the names of each cabins, two names were called and two girls would step forward and introduce themselves.

About twenty minutes passed and my name still hasn't been called. But while I was waiting, listening to other girls blabber about themselves, I learned one thing.

No one is a bitch like Minerva. And just recently, Faylinn makes the list too.

Most of the people here are just as new to the idea of the supernatural world as I am.

Finally, Elvina says, "The next cabin is Ruby..." she reaches into the pink box, pulls a piece of paper and smiles, "Rosemarie Hathaway."

I smile, standing up. Another thing I've learned from listening to Elvina reads the list of cabins is that every single one of them is named after a gemstone.

Ruby is my favorite. I like the red in the gem.

Once I'm standing in the middle, Elvina whispers to me, "Congratulation, Rose. You know your mom was also assigned this cabin when she was here."

I look at her, wide eyes.

Elvina smiles and nods before reaching into the box.

Until that moment the idea that I'm going to have a roommate totally slipped my mind.

Now, watching Elvina slowly draws another piece of paper out of the box, my breathing quickens again.

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump_.

"Vasilisa Dragomir." she reads.

I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I've been holding. I don't know why, I've never heard of her before but there's something about the way her name sounds that reassures me everything is going to be great.

Searching around the crowds I notice Christian's smile. Hmm...I guess he also approves. But then I notice his eyes staring, without blinking, at someone from the other side of the crowd. I follow his gaze to find a tall girl making her way through the crowds to the middle.

As soon as she steps into the light and I get a glimpse of her face, I like her immediately.

She is beautiful with blonde, wavy hair that passes her shoulders to the center of her back. Her jade green eyes sparkle with excitement and yet at the same time they seem...shy...and almost uncertain. They soon land on me and she looks me up and down. At last they are looking straight at me in the eyes.

And she smiles.

And all is great with the world.

Elvina motions for me to start introducing myself.

I take a deep breath, look straight at the audiences and put on my best man-eater smile.

"I'm Rose Hathaway and that's that. You may only call me Rose and not Rosemarie and Rosie." I begin searching for faces in the crowds then. Finally, my gaze lands on Minerva and Faylinn, both sitting close together, staring straight at me.

I smirk, "I'm a shadow-kissed. And the last time I checked –" I stare right back at them, "We're quite _powerful_."

The silence that seems to hang in the air after I said those words is quite scary.

I can hear the wind blowing and the sound of fire cracking.

Then Elvina steps forward, "Ah... I'm going to guess that none of you have heard of a shadow-kissed before. Am I right?"

The silence that follows confirms her. "A shadow-kissed is a rare species. We hardly stumble upon one in our lifetime...They are very powerful and can be dangerous if they use their power in a wrong way. Rose, here, is one of the very few shadow-kissed in Camp Magicka's history. She is here to learn more about herself and her powers just like the rest of you. So I hope you will treat her the same way you treat your friends considering she's the only one of her kind here. Thank you."

Elvina smiles at me reassuringly.

I feel like smirking at Minerva and Faylinn but thought better of it.

The camp leader gestures for Vasilisa to go on.

She smiles shyly before talking, "Hello, I'm Vasilisa Dragomir but please just call me Lissa. I'm a witch but don't worry! I won't put a spell on you or anything."

While Lissa is talking I still notice some people staring at me as if trying to figure me out.

Well, good luck with that.

When Lissa finishes, Elvina gives us two keys to Ruby. We thank her and I'm about to walk back to my seat next to Christian when Lissa speaks up. "Hey, Rose? Do you want to go sit together?"

I look at her, and then at Christian. He won't mind, will he?

No, probably not. "Sure." I tell her and she leads me to the very back of the crowd.

* * *

><p>Elvina finally finished with the girls. Now she starts calling out the guys' names. Their cabins are named after mythical creatures like Griffin, Phoenix, Sphinx, Pegasus... Although at this point, any one of those creatures can just appear in front of me and I wouldn't be so surprised.<p>

Christian rooms with a buff, werewolf guy called Simon Hunter. I make a mental note to tease him about it later.

Then I notice that guy from the forest – Adrian – stepping forward after Elvina assigned him to Dragon. Another guy is already standing there before Adrian so I didn't catch his name. He has his back to me so I can't see his face, but even from behind I can tell that he's good looking.

"I'm Dimitri Belikov. A vampire and this is my second time at Camp Magicka." says the guy with his back to me. Dimitri.

Elvina's words come back to me,_But... there are others who had discovered their true nature for a while now. For some of them it's not their first time at Camp Magicka_.

Well, Dimitri is one of those people then. And I notice something...different about him. The way he stands, walks and talks...he seems really confident. Not confident in a cocky and selfish way. Just...really reserved and proud. If you know what I mean.

Then as if he notices me staring – more like burning holes in his skull – he turns around in a swift, graceful motion and is now staring straight back at me. His dark eyes boring into mine.

He is too far and it is too dark to see what color his eyes are but that doesn't matter a bit. Even without seeing his eyes color, I can tell that he's impossibly handsome. He is tall with a muscular built. He has shoulder length dark hair that seems really soft. For a moment there I was day-dreaming about running my hands through it.

"Rose!" Lissa's voice snaps me out of my little day dream.

"Yeah?" I ask, finally tearing my gaze away from Dimitri.

She passes me a wooden basket.

I raise my eyebrow at her.

"They're collecting your phones." she groans, "So drop yours in there along with the others."

Oh.

Right.

Elvina mentioned it in the car. It totally slipped my mind.

I reach out for my practical Nokia, feeling a little bit out of place as I drop it into a pile of IPhones and Blackberries.

Jeez, do these kids think money grows on tree? I wipe the thought away. Probably daddies' credit cards, I snort.

Afterwards after everyone got assigned a roommate and a cabin, Elvina announces that we are going to be playing some games._ An easy way to bond with each other is through having fun_ , she had said.

Finally, I thought, something like a normal campfire activity.

So we sang some songs, roasted marshmallows and played games like Twenty Questions, A What, and Telephone.

I have to admit, they are quite fun. The memory of me, Liv and Lana with a few of our classmates last summer pops into my head. We were having a similar party down by the Castle Rock lake.

That was also where I had my first kiss with the class snob, Vincent Clark. Uh no. Before you even think that those guys are my type. No. Get rid of that thought. We were playing Truth or Dare. I chose Dare, of course, and my ex-bestfriend Mindy Monroe – who hated me ever since I got crowned Homecoming Queen instead of her – dared me to kiss Vincent. She knew it was going to be my first and she knew I wanted it to be special. And that's exactly why she'd chosen it. I remember being so pissed at her but I decided that I wasn't going to give her that satisfaction she was hoping to get if I use the 'First Kiss' card. So I grabbed Vincent by his shirt and practically crushed him with my lips. We ended up making out right in front of the bonfire. It must have been quite hot because later on a guy told me we were practically 'on fire.' But I couldn't careless what people had to say, the look on Mindy's face when we were done was enough to kept me smiling for the rest of the night.

"So, who's up for some Truth or Dare?" Elvina's voice brought me back to the bonfire.

I blink then look around. Everyone has this_ ooh-I-can't-wait_ look on their faces. It's extremely obvious on Faylinn's face, as if she can't wait to kiss some random hotties.

It turns out Camp Magicka's version of Truth or Dare is a _little_ different than our usual one...

Instead of having to answer questions like 'Who do you like?' 'What was the biggest lie you've ever told?' and 'Who was your first kiss?' – I can't help but groan at the last one – if you choose Truth, you have to draw a name of the same gender from the name box. The opposite goes for Dare. And afterwards your challenge will be drawn from another box by Elvina. So basically this is a pair version of Truth or Dare.

"Alright then," Elvina's booming voice got everyone's attention once more, "Shall we start?"

We started.

The first one to go is Lissa – despite her protests about not wanting to.

"Truth or Dare, Vasilisa?" Aragon asks, his eyes glinting.

Lissa hesitates for a few seconds before choosing Truth.

She then fished up a name from the pink name box. "Uh, Minerve Sampson." Lissa reads out loud.

I groan for her.

Minerva steps in the middle of the circle, she quickly snatches the paper away from Lissa's hand.

"It's _Minerva_ or can't you read?" She shoves the paper into Lissa's face.

Lissa blushes, "Oh. Haha...sorry. It must have been the light! I thought that was an E"

"Dumb blonde." Minerva whispers harshly.

Lissa's face flushed red.

"Oh now your face's as red as a –"

Afraid that she's going to say something that would hurt Lissa's feelings, I decide I've had enough.

She messed with me, that's one thing. Go after my friend? Not cool.

"What? Red as your Botoxed lips? You think it's sexy? Like your fake hair? Well sorry to inform you but no, it's not. You look like a crazy witch – oh wait...you are! Now, _back off._" I practically snarl at her, stepping forward to shield Lissa with my curvy body.

Now it's Minerva's turn to become so red it looks like she's going to explode any second. "You bitch! The last time I checked? Blondie here is also a witch. And for your information, these lips are real! Mommy and Daddy gave it to me! Unlike you, the only thing they seem to have passed on to you are these poor manners!"

That did it.

Without hesitation, I lung for her, knocking us both to the ground.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF MY PARENTS, BITCH!" I scream at her, grabbing for her throat.

Things happened in a slow blur after that.

First, I was SO angry I seem to have forgotten absolutely everything around me. It was just me and this bitch laying underneath me.

Second, I remember wanting her dead. How dare she speaks of my mom and dad in that way! She knows nothing. Absolutely nothing! She deserves to die. I should kill her.

In fact, my next thought was I'm going to kill her right now.

Then all of sudden, dark forms began to materialize from the corner of my vision. Slowly, they floated into view.

I was taken aback for only a second when I realized what they are...

Shadows.

And just like that all my anger towards Minerva was back.

A low voice, almost like a hiss carried to me by the wind, whispers, "What can we do for you, Mistress?"

I was surprised by the fact that I didn't seem at all shocked at the sound of that voice.

Instead, I began to picture Minerva being choked to death. She deserves it, a voice echoed inside my head. And just like that these shadows, as if they were my slaves, obey.

They slam into Minerva at the exact same moment I feel arms restraining me, pulling me away from the girl on the ground.

"Rose! Rosemarie Hathaway!" a beautiful woman dressed all in white yells at me.

I glare at her, "_Let me goooo_!" my voice comes out low and scary. Like a hiss.

The woman is clearly taken by surprise. Alarm reflecting in her eyes, she calls out to someone called Aragon. "The shadows." she mouths and that was the last thought I had before the darkness clouds my vision, pulling me under with them.

* * *

><p><strong>TADAAAAA! :)<strong>

**SO, Dimitri IS BACK! There will be a lot more of him from now on :) I know you guys would love that, hahah. Sorry about the cliff-hanger! I'm halfway through the next chapter now! Will update really soon! **

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**Annnnnnd a review would be nice! ;)**

**Prim.**


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